To Ride or Die
by Verse Gypsy
Summary: Part Three in the trilogy. Deke "Mustang" Flynn follows a trail to an end he isn't sure he wants, while discovering there's more to life that he originally thought. Lemons present. Sequel to "To Rise Above." Introducing Cole Cash AKA Grifter.
1. Chapter 1

**I own none of this, besides my OC's, and I only vaguely own those.**

So, here's part three. I'm not done exploring Deke's life, or that of the other characters I've created. I just wanted to bring things to something of a conclusion before Season 2 happens. I have goals to do a series around the team I've created, but that will come when the inspiration does.

Thanks to everyone who spent the time reading to this point. I can't thank you enough for your support. I keep an eye on my story statistics, I know there's a few of you who've read all the way through, and even if it's not that many, I appreciate who I've got. This one actually started as a couple of chapters of purely simple fluff and smut, but when I set out to write this, I wanted to avoid PWP, and that attitude turned what was supposed to be some simple smut into the third chapter.

I want to give big ups to IllusoryGentleman (I wish I knew how to link here, or if I even can) who has given me some much needed support and encouragement. If you're here, you're at least comfortable with lemony goodness, so you should check out his work. Way better than mine and worth your time. Tell him I sent you in your comments and reviews.

Speaking of, as always, I love reviews, and interacting with my readers, so please, drop me something, especially if you catch the cameos. I'd absolutely appreciate it. But... without further ado, on with the conclusion of this trilogy.

* * *

September 22rd  
Trujillo, Peru  
1633 PET

The blackened sky was filled with sand and debris, blowing about in the gale force winds threatening the city. Lightning arced and streaked across the clouds, striking the ground and sea, bringing occasional moments of clarity to the people watching, and it wasn't looking good at the moment.

Five people had come to try and protect a coastal city of over half a million people from the most threatening tropical storm in many years. A storm which had spawned a waterspout capable of leveling the coastal city before it ran out of power.

"Alright Pecos, you ready to rope this bitch?" Mustang asked, giving a glance to his teammate. His accent, thick from excitement, turned the statement into 'ready uh row piss bitch?', which caused Daeva to give him a glance for a moment.

"I suppose, just get me into the center of the spout. If I kill this one, more won't likely be able to spawn." She said to him, and stepped closer. She didn't add that she was terrified that she wouldn't be able to deflect or weaken the spout. She didn't have to.

"I've got you Little Bit." Mustang said, and wrapped the two of them up in a sphere of invisible force. He steered their telekinetic conveyance into the heart of the massive waterspout, every instant requiring him to readjust his aim and speed on the fly.

"Here, hold us here!" Daeva cried out. She'd been clutching her teammate's arm the whole trip in, but the moment they found themselves in the center of the tempest, she felt herself realigning with the energies of the storm.

Daeva shot her arms out by her sides, and slowly raised them over her head. While it didn't actually look like much, a great deal was going on. Her body, from conception to that exact moment, was built for this purpose, through alchemy and sorcery. She was a Goddess of the winds and flames, and this storm _would_ bend to her will.

She channeled the energies of the storm itself, letting them fill her body, making her a part of it. She began to exert her will against nature, through her body's energy, she demanded it cease its assault against the land. Tiny beads of sweat formed across her brow, the effort nothing to brush off. It wasn't just a matter of seeing a goal and exerting herself to achieve it. She was actively fighting the weather. Her teammates might exist to stand against the monsters which threatened the innocent, but this is where she shone.

Below and behind them, Fractal, Koa, and Godiva weren't idle. The two big lifters were busy fortifying a shelter point a few blocks inland. Most of the civilians had received ample time to evacuate, but the hospital wasn't able to just pack their patients up and leave. Koa and Godiva had piled debris caused by previous storms, as well as whatever else they could safely acquire, up against the building.

Utilizing his powers, Fractal had sent his little helpers out. The tiny machines replicated themselves and began swarming over the piles of debris, effectively liquefying it and reforming it into additional walls to fortify the building, bonding it to the existing structure at a molecular level. Like anything that began at a nano scale, it began slow but amplified in an exponential manner. By the time they finished, the hospital was a fortress. Fractal had willed his creations into sealing the windows, forming a flexible barrier over the glass to prevent blow-in.

"What you think they doin' in there?" Koa yelled over the roaring winds and driving rain.

"Who knows?" Godiva replied, also forced to raise her voice. "I just hope it works. These people don't stand a chance otherwise."

Fractal watched the storm once he'd finished tasking the nanites under his control. For several moments, it looked like there was no change. Mustang had been forced to break their psychic link in order to better focus on keeping himself and Daeva safe, so there was no way to query them. He frowned, and kept an eye out. If Daeva failed to control the storm, they'd have to evacuate in a hurry.

For several tense moments, nothing seemed to happen, until it gradually became clear that the waterspout was losing power. The cyclonic shape of the clouds above it slowed their rotation, and the spout itself thinned out, completely playing itself out just a dozen yards onto the shore. A sphere surrounded both Daeva and Mustang, visible only because of the rain spattering off of it.

[We're connected again.] The team heard in their thoughts as Mustang delivered himself and Daeva to the rest of their comrades.

[Good, we still have work to do.] Fractal replied, taking command of his nanite army once again. While Koa and Godiva met their teammates in the middle of the empty streets, the wave of microscopic machines set back to work, first coming away from the entrances and windows to the hospital, before swarming out to gather more material to grow their horde. Some remained to work on the hospital itself, taking hasty additions to the building and making them architecturally and aesthetically sound.

[Water and power are still out all over the city.] Godiva said as she pulled a small device from her belt. She'd finally settled on a costume beyond a bikini and an attitude, deciding to go with what amounted to a sleeved one piece bathing suit. It had a zipper down the front, which she rarely drew all the way up, bringing to mind one of Catwoman's previous getups.

The little device began pinging as she swept it in an arc in front of her. Koa leaned over and peeked at the little screen. [I'm going to check the water for any boat accidents.]

[Keep your comms handy, you'll be out of range fast.] Fractal said, referencing Mustang's mental reach. If he could see it, or sense it, he could physically manipulate it, but that was telekinesis. His telepathic abilities, while improving, still weren't much to write home about.

Koa dashed off, headlong into the water. Once in the surf, his Atlantean biotech fully activated. Webbing grew between his fingers, his toes extended and developed webbing between them as well, and his internal gill structure began processing the seawater, allowing him to breathe. He began swimming in increasingly larger circles, listening for calls for help or sounds of distress.

On land, Daeva took to the skies, swooping through the city on the wind. [Showoff.] Mustang said, still not able to maneuver all that well in flight.

[Jealousy is unbecoming.] She replied, scolding him lightly. She soared as they mentally communicated, keeping her eyes out for stragglers who couldn't evacuate. This storm had bedeviled the people on the coast of Peru for a while, and while she was able to dissipate the worst of the vortexes, the weather could still turn.

[Got someone!] Godiva called out. Daeva immediately turned tight, bringing herself around and down. Fractal tasked several million of his helpers as well, causing a simulacrum of himself to form near his teammates.

[Under this rubble?] Daeva asked, pointing to a building which had fallen in the winds the night before. Until earlier in the day, the League had deemed the weather bad, but not necessitating intervention. Hopefully, the team was on time to help whoever was down there.

[Yeah, they're under there good, but the scanner says they've got air. I dunno why everyone showed up, I got this pile.] Godiva said, and moved to begin moving the detritus.

A hand touched her on the arm, causing her to pause. The nanite homunculus of Fractal just shook its head slowly. [One wrong piece moved and the whole thing could come down.] he told her.

Godiva frowned. [It'd take you a while to dissolve this.] she pointed out, and it was true. Even with the wave of nanomachines, it would still require a lot of planning to eliminate the rubble without threat.

[Lady G, just get ready to grab whoever is under there.] Mustang said, and extended his hands. He began enveloping the entirety of the pile of building materials, letting his telekinetic grip work its way around each individual piece, spreading around them until he had the entirety of them enveloped.

When the entire pile moved as one contiguous piece, Godiva could see two people laying there, in what was probably the dining room of a café. She dashed in, faster than one might expect her capable of, and picked them up. It was a young woman, who was clutching onto a baby. Both of them looked pretty rough from their experience, though the little one's lungs still seemed healthy enough.

[Set it down.] Fractal said, and the moment Mustang released his hold, their team leader set about dissolving the rubble anyway, adding it to his swarm and its building material.

[Medic.] Daeva said, once she'd begun inspecting the young lady and the infant Godiva had carried out. It was clear the young woman was seriously injured, probably clutching onto the baby out of sheer instinctive reaction.

Mustang hated being called a medic. He was only a few weeks into his first semester as a medical student, and his experience in rendering proper first aid was certification and some very minor experience. Having someone's life in his hands wasn't something he wasn't quite ready for yet.

"/Are you okay?/" he asked the woman in Spanish. She certainly looked local.

"/I don't…/" the woman began before starting to trail off. Mustang took the baby from her arms and held the little crying thing against his chest. A quick glance showed that his removal of the debris covering them had also pulled out a piece of rebar which had impaled her through the leg. It was the only thing preventing her from bleeding, and he'd pulled it out.

[Fractal, drop something, we need to close some wounds.] Mustang said, patting the baby on the back and gesturing for Godiva to set the woman down gently.

[Moving.] Fractal said, dashing through the downtown area of the city to make it physically to their position. Daeva took the baby from Mustang, and began trying to comfort the poor thing, who was probably extremely hungry.

Using his powers, Mustang filled the through and through injury with telekinetic force and began cleaning the area around the wound with alcohol wipes from the small kit he carried on his belt. He also shifted his perceptions, minding the woman's biorhythms, which were beginning to slip. She hadn't damaged her femoral artery, which was a godsend, but shock could kill too.

That, however, was something he could take care of. While waiting on Fractal to arrive (the boy was a fast runner, but he'd distanced himself from the rest of the team while he'd played civil engineer) Mustang began matching his biorhythms to his patient's, unifying the two of them, before beginning to force them into something stronger.

Immediately, he felt cold, his long rider coat doing nothing to help him. Despite this, he also began breaking into a sweat, and he could feel his heartbeat growing thread. Godiva watched him work, and saw his pupils begin to dilate, and his hands start shaking. She gave a quick glance, and took her phone from her belt, and snapped a few seconds of video before sending it off.

Fractal arrived a few minutes later, struggling to catch his breath. Silently, he reminded himself to consider more cardio, and then took an ampule from Godiva's belt. This, he popped open and sprinkled the contents out around her injury. Finally, he tapped some of his swarm to begin sterilizing themselves.

The sterilized stainless steel dust he'd poured around the gaping hole through the woman's thigh began shifting and moving, as his swarm began replicating themselves using that material, before it began filling the injury itself. Quickly, the tiny machines began sealing off ruptured blood vessels, several of them also entering the woman's bloodstream to be prepared to accept commands later, in the event they would be necessary.

"League's incoming." They heard from Koa across the radio. "I see Green Lantern carrying some people. Superman's probably almost there."

"Great, we're getting upstaged." Godiva said with a frown. "By our own bosses."

"Yeah I ain't bitchin' about it." Mustang said, as he severed his connection with his patient. She'd most likely live, but she needed a hospital. He was still reeling from the sympathetic response. Shock was horrible, that's all there was to it.

Not unsurprisingly, Superman touched down a moment later, and began surveying the scene. His X-Ray vision revealed a few other people on the edges of town, trapped by mudslides. "The rest of the League will be here soon." He said, and just as quick, he was gone.

"You know, I wonder about that guy." Godiva mused. At the moment, she was otherwise useless, so she tried to help Daeva console the crying baby. Of course, that wouldn't last long. She wasn't so much into kids it seemed.

Daeva, on the other hand, seemed positively enchanted. She just kept patiently shushing and cradling the infant, probably a boy given the clothing. "Auntie Aasha's got you." She said, in the most soothing voice ever. "We'll get you fed as soon as possible."

"Shouldn't be much longer. US Navy is dispatching a few ships to provide relief." They heard from above. The Green Lantern known as John Stewart let Green Arrow, and the Flash down, while Doctor Fate, Zatanna, and the Atom flew alongside.

"Sitrep?" Captain Atom asked as the rest of the assembled League began surveying the scene.

"Most of the city was able to evacuate, the rest who couldn't are holed up in the hospital." Fractal said, sounding far away as his attention was divided. "This is our only real injury at the moment. She'll need real attention soon, and the baby Daeva is holding is likely starving."

"The vortex? Has it been dealt with?" Doctor Fate asked, aiming his dual voiced question directly at Daeva. That was just pure creepy.

"Yes. The rest of the storm is heading out to sea." She answered, still bouncing the baby slowly. He wasn't calming down at all, but she wasn't about to quit.

"We felt your magic," Zatanna said, gesturing towards Doctor Fate. "Impressive."

"Thank you." Daeva said, blushing. "Just doing what I can."

Godiva reached her hand down to Mustang, and helped him to his feet while everyone else was communicating. He was still wobbly on his feet, but he was shaking off the sympathetic response quickly. "Choppers are coming in already." Mustang told her, pointing off to the sky.

"Yep. What do you bet there's media on one, and we won't be asked a damn thing from any of them?" She said sourly.

"You that worried about being on the news?" Mustang asked her, giving his teammate a sidelong glance.

"It'd be nice." Godiva groused. "Just once, we show up, help out, and it's us. We work hard at this. That whole temporary seawall that contained the waves that _didn't_ flood downtown, that was us."

"Yeah, it was, and you'll go to bed tonight and know it was you. Hell, I'll say it right now it was your idea." Mustang said, taking his hat off and scratching his head.

"And it was a good idea." Captain Atom said to his team, proving he was indeed listening. "This is exactly why you're here, and we really couldn't have done any better. Green Lantern could have made one with his ring, sure. Fate could order the storm away too, but you five did it."

"Thank you." Godiva said, somewhat chastised by her direct boss' words. A gust of wind blew past them, and she noticed the Flash offering a bottle of formula, a package of wipes, and a diaper to Daeva to feed and change the baby. Unused to speedsters, Godiva was about to ask how he'd done it so fast, but she managed to catch herself before actually sticking her foot in her mouth.

Immediately, the hungry little thing began eating. Daeva looked perfectly content with the task so nobody tried to take over for her, leaving her the chance to sit down for a while. The rest weren't so lucky. Safe landing zones for the choppers had to be found or made, and Superman was calling for assistance with some of the outlying survivors from the mudslide.


	2. Chapter 2

September 23rd  
Gotham CIty  
0025 EST

Deke wandered into his dorm room, exhausted and feeling run over. Not unusual, the lights were out. His roommate seemed allergic to actually sleeping in his room. In fact, in the eight weeks of the fall semester, Deke could probably count on one hand the number of times Eric had bothered sleeping in his own bed.

Not that he cared that much. While Eric was a solid guy, having the privacy was nice. Deke's girlfriend was a ninja, so he'd had the opportunity to spend more nights with her than without since classes started. Not that every night was wild sex, or even lighthearted lovemaking. She was taking almost a full load of weighted classes in order to get her doctorate early, and the stress was killing her. Most nights it was just being comfortable without expectations.

"Godiva sent me a video." Deke heard in the dark, and turned, ready to shred the air where the sound had come from, before he identified the voice in the shadows. "I was almost afraid to open it, but I'm glad I did."

Barbara stepped out of the darkness and into her boy's open arms, gladly taking the embrace he offered. Across the room, a lamp lit up, the switch flipped from a distance. The light bathed the two teenagers, and gave Deke a chance to look at his beloved. She was not dressed for romance at all, wearing gray Gotham U. sweats and a familiar tee shirt which in no way was ever his property at any point in time. Her sunset red hair was up in a messy bun, and she was wearing her glasses. She was beautiful.

Deke kissed his girl and held onto her for a moment. "What did she send?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"Just you, saving a life. Nothing serious." Barbara said, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm proud of you."

Deke adjusted his arms around his girl and picked her up. She giggled softly and let him carry her to his bed, nuzzling into his neck on the trip. Once he'd laid her down, and laid down with her, he replied to her statement, still blushing from her words.

"Thank you. It's all your fault you know." He said, remembering he'd left his boots on, and sat up to remove them.

"Guilty as charged. There's uh, there's something else you wanna see too." Barbara said, and dug into her pocket for her phone, which wasn't so easy because he'd laid her down on the side with the pocket containing said phone. She ran her thumb across the screen and pulled up a video. She hit play and handed it to her boy, who had just kicked his other boot off.

Deke took her offered phone and watched a news report, in Spanish, about the averted damage in Peru. While most of it was pretty banal stuff about how Superman did this, and Green Lantern did that, and Zatanna did another thing, there was a short moment where the camera zoomed on Deke's team.

It was only a few seconds of video, but they were an important few seconds. He was lifting a fallen tree off a building, while Koa and Godiva were pulling people free. Fractal was working something out on his wrist computer at the time, but he was talking to the Flash, and pointing.

"I'll be damned, we're on the news." He said, excited as hell. "Babs, we made the news!"

"Yes you did Cowboy. I dunno how Daeva will take it, they missed her." Barbara said, pulling her boy back down to the bed. Her nerves were shot, which was becoming entirely too common a thing for her own tastes, and lying next to her boy was the best way she'd found to take care of the problem. She had other cures, of course, but this was her favorite.

"She's good." Deke replied, rolling over to look at his love. "We rescued a baby and she's been positively gaga over the little fella. Peruvian Child Services has been really accommodating with her too, letting her mind him until his momma gets well enough."

"That's the best." Barbara said with a soft smile and some good natured jealousy. "That's what really gets me back out there, even when I'm hurt and exhausted. Helping families and all." As a girl from a less than intact home, it was important to her.

"Speaking of hurt, I noticed you're favoring your left hip." Deke said, tracing his fingertips gently across the trouble spot. He'd long ago given up any notion of her coming back from a patrol without some kind of injury or another.

"Armor ate the round. Shooter ate my knuckles." Barbara said with a wicked smirk. "You should've seen it, he thought he was Mister Quick Draw, and yeah, he was fast, but his aim was horrible. He shot three times before I closed the distance, and only hit the last one, which was point blank."

Deke _could_ picture it. She was replaying the moment in her mind, and loud. It was from her perspective, but that made it even better. The look on the guy's face was indeed priceless. "So, I take it he's spending the night as a guest of Gotham PD?"

"He better be, I left him strung up in front of the ninth precinct an hour ago. If they haven't gotten him down by now, Dad's going to be pissed." Her hair, as she talked, drifted into her face, tiny red wisps which she occasionally gave a sideways glance towards, and blew out of the corner of her mouth to shoo away. Angels only wished they could be so divine, so far as Deke was concerned.

"Oh hey," She continued. "There's a thing happening tomorrow, you wouldn't want to be my date, would you?"

She asked that question as though she were asking him to a Sadie Hawkins dance in middle school, so shy and girlish. She did it purely for the amusement of it all, but she still looked positively adorable when she did it.

"How could I say no to joining you on your birthday?" Deke said, and then did some quick math in his head, trying to suss out which time zone he was in.. "Which is officially now, so happy 19th birthday darlin'!"

"Thank you Cowboy." She said with a smile, already feeling a lot better after the nightmare of homework she'd had to crunch through before she'd went on patrol. She kissed her boy on the nose and cuddled up closer to him. "It won't be anything as fancy as Monaco, so you don't have to break the tux out again, which now that I think of it, is kind of a shame. I still need an excuse to wear that dress again."

"Yes you do. I need a reason to get you out of it too." Deke replied with a hungry grin, tickling her stomach lightly. She giggled at his touch and took his hand, giving it a squeeze, and holding onto it.

"Well," she began, overplaying a thoughtful look. "There's a Christmas fundraiser that I'll have a plus one for. It's a charity gala held in the banquet room of Wayne industries' corporate center, but we'd be working more than attending. It's extremely formal too, if we're looking that hard for an excuse."

"I can plus one for that." Deke replied. "About your birthday thing, what's the score with it?"

"Nothing fancy. A few of us are getting together to have a night on the town, probably grab dinner somewhere. Bette is threatening karaoke." Barbara said. "Dad's taking me to lunch tomorrow too. I'm going to be stuffed now that I think of it, and I can see that look on your face so you get your mind out of the gutter."

"I thought I was the psychic here." Deke complained playfully. "Clearly I was wrong."

"Clearly you were and you should sit and think about that." Barbara chided, tickling her boy back.

Deke snickered at her tickles, drawing his stomach away from her as best he could. It wasn't easy on a twin bed that he could barely fit on if he laid on his back, and eventually just realized it was going to happen. "Okay, I thought about it!" He exclaimed, finally unable to resist her fingertips without resorting to cheating.

Barbara stopped at that, and tried to melt into him, snuggling deep into his chest. "We still love each other, right?" she asked, her voice muffled against his body.

"Well yeah." Deke said, carefully pulling her glasses off for her. She wasn't long for the waking world when she snuggled in like that. "Why do you ask?"

"Just making sure all is right with the world." She replied with a big yawn. Insecurity was not a part of Babs' playbook, this was more a reminder than reassurance, and it was also calming, something she needed more and more of lately. Deke was happy to deliver.

"Oh yeah." He said to her, and kissed the top of her head. He stroked her hair softly until he could hear faint snoring. She was falling asleep faster than usual, which was a little bothersome to him. She was brilliant, easily one of the smartest people he'd ever met in his life, which meant calming her thoughts enough to sleep was tricky. Often, she properly wore herself out before bed, which of course was a highlight of an evening, but lately, the stress had also been killing her surprisingly powerful sex drive, making that difficult as well.

Between school and the life, Deke was worried the Babs he'd met was getting buried. Seeing as they didn't have classes the next day though, he began cooking up an idea. First, her body, which was probably the easiest part of the exercise. Resetting her biorhythms to natural peak and holding them there was a well-practiced technique for him by this point, and his immunity the sympathetic response it created in her was near total.

This pulled double duty in encouraging her body to heal faster, as well as mitigating the cortisol her life was dumping into her. Then, his next task was her mind. Steering dreams was easy, it was a small nudge, but this would take more effort. He had to begin tweaking and triggering specific centers in her brain, causing her major stressors to come to the forefront, long enough for her to be able to resolve them subconsciously. This had to be done delicately though, because it would be entirely too easy for her dreams to become nightmares, which sort of ruined the effort. Barbara's body had to remain at ease, her fight or flight not ready to trigger a massive spike in adrenaline. She needed to have a challenge in overcoming the demons plaguing her, but it had to be monitored carefully.

Absently, he wondered what she was dreaming about. He wouldn't peek, one because it wasn't his business, and two, because his presence might influence things in an unpredictable manner. There was still that insecure voice in the back of his head, much quieter and almost completely impotent after he'd allowed Barbara in and she'd assaulted whatever it was, but while it gave him concern that he was a demon plaguing her, it wasn't pervasive and crushing.

She laid there, asleep in his arms for several hours. All the while he remained awake, carefully tweaking things for her, in effect, operating as cheat codes for her while her subconscious mind processed her waking troubles. Occasionally she'd make small noises, a whimper here, a groan there, and even a giggle or two. While Deke had come back to his dorm room exhausted, and his efforts weren't exactly easy on him, the opportunity to experience this with her was too good to pass up.

It was a few hours after sunrise before Barbara woke up, feeling absolutely refreshed. Her dreams, fleeting, gossamer things that they were, were already hazy, but she had clear recollection of taking down several of the Bat Family's rogues by herself. Joker, Poison Ivy, and Bane specifically stuck out in her mind. Things had gotten spicy after that, and it had left her feeling a little rowdy upon awakening too. Before her conscious mind scrubbed the memory of her dreams, she clearly recalled the celebration she and her boy had shared afterwards, and it was a _good_ celebration.

"Mornin' sleepyhead." Barbara heard in the soft baritone of her boyfriend. That was a surprise, he could sleep his life away and he was up before her? Her detective mind kicked in, and she took a good look at the pile of derp and muscle she was in love with. His eyes didn't look rested at all, in fact, they were distant and a little glassy.

She flashed a bright, beautiful, and most importantly, genuine smile at him before rubbing noses with him. They were both capable of shaming dragons with their breath first thing in the morning, so a kiss was generally reserved for after teeth brushing.

He smiled back at her, pleased at what he saw. When she took on that disappointed look though, shifting gears in an instant, he knew he was busted. Silently, he was glad he was wired the way he was, he'd never in his life be able to keep anything from her.

"You stayed up all night, didn't you?" She accused. She wasn't mad at him, just a little unhappy that he hadn't gotten some rest as well. She'd foiled a bank robbery, he helped save a city. Between them, he'd earned the right to sleep and he'd given it up for her. It was heartwarming, sure, and it made her fall in love just a little more, but she didn't necessarily need his attention. Not for a sore hip that she could walk off in a couple of hours.

"Yup." He drawled, running his hands through her hair again. "Worth it."

"Your definition of worth, and my definition of worth, don't come from the same dictionary." She said, sitting up. Her hip definitely felt better though. Honestly, all of her felt better, and still a little excited. This gave her an idea, one she was certain he'd be all in for.

"So, Cowboy, how about we both go catch a quick shower and I'll read you a story before you get some rest?" She said, grabbing a mint from the nightstand and popping it into her mouth.

"What kinda story?" Deke asked, taking the mint she'd offered.

"Oh, it's a good one." She said, coming back onto the bed and kneeling over him. "It's about this warrior poet. He sets out on a quest to find the princess of the kingdom of night, who was upset that nobody worthy had come to court her. I bet you can guess what happens next." She said, grinding her hips down on his regularly scheduled morning reaction.

"I think I might need visual aids." Deke said, taking her hips. Princess of the Kingdom of Night, that had a really awesome ring to it, and it gave him an idea for a small extra present to give her for her birthday.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Barbara said, getting off of him and letting him get fully to his feet.


	3. Chapter 3 (Lemon Candy)

September 23rd  
Gotham City  
1045 EST

Barbara had rushed to get herself in order for her plans. She'd bathed the night before, but she hadn't put effort into any full scale grooming in a while, so she had to remedy that. The small shower stalls in the dorms weren't really made for it, but again, she was pleased that she'd developed her remarkable flexibility. Instead of bending and twisting about to shave her legs, she could raise one leg up high enough to prop it on the stall wall, while balancing on the other foot.

Her more private parts took a bit of doing, and it didn't help that every small bit of contact was just getting her revved up a little more every time. Truth be told, she hadn't been this horny in weeks, her physical needs having to go on the back burner for a while. She couldn't be certain, but she had a suspicion he'd worked some mojo on her while she slept. If she'd just woken up feeling extra naughty, she'd be upset, but she couldn't deny her whole body felt incredible, and her sleep the night before had been exceptionally restful. She'd get the answer out of him easy, and if that was the case, she foresaw a nice reward in the future for him.

She had a moment's pause where she considered heading back to her room for something more interesting to wear than the spare clothes she kept in his dresser, but quickly shot that down. Too much wasted time to have them pulled off after a couple of minutes. She was a woman on a mission, and romance could happen after her birthday celebration.

She slipped back into his room and saw him lying on his back on the small bed. "You still awake?" She asked softly. If he was asleep, she wouldn't wake him. She had hands to take care of herself if it came to that, she just didn't want to have to.

"Yes'm." He said, and rolled onto his side to look at her. No matter what, she was beautiful. Even in the plainest clothing, she could drop his jaw. Her focused intent at the moment didn't hurt either. Barbara slipped her long sleeved tee shirt off, and dropped her jeans and underwear the moment the door was shut. She hadn't worn a bra specifically so she didn't have to mess with it, so she was completely nude by the time she got to his bedside.

"Did you stay up all night to give me a good night's sleep?" She asked, pausing just long enough to get the answer she wanted.

"Yes I did." He said with a wink.

Not giving him a chance to say anything else, she swung her leg around the side of his head, and put a knee into the pillow by his ear, before bringing herself completely onto the bed. Her sex was directly in front of his face, and she had perfect access to his.

She realized very quickly though that she needed to rethink this approach the next time. He'd wasted no time in going to work on her, which made getting his jeans undone an exercise in frustration. Generally, he'd take the time to tease her a while, but she hadn't exactly concealed her urgency, so he'd dove in with gusto.

The way his tongue pressed on her button shot immediate sparks through her body, setting up a tingling throughout her limbs. She was grateful he wasn't wearing a belt, because she was already feeling shoved towards her limit. The button came undone easily enough, but her hands didn't want to respond well enough to undo his zipper.

He could hear her already panting, small, quiet breaths that signaled her pleasure. When she'd settled on top of him, giving him unfettered access to her, he couldn't resist. She was already dewy from arousal, and he wanted a taste. He'd missed it terribly lately and she deserved it anyway. Deke didn't care at all that she was fumbling with his pants, he could live a while longer so long as he was able to provide some relief for her.

She couldn't have it though, she had to give as well as she took, that's all there was to it. Barbara despised being a selfish lover. Getting pampered now and again was great, but this moment wasn't it. She had to fight through the haze to get his jeans completely opened, and the moment she had access, she took him into her mouth, having an intense need to complete the circuit.

Deke's ministrations with his tongue took a pause the moment she'd gotten ahold of him. It was rare that she devoured him like this and the immediate sensation was powerful. He took a deep breath to steady himself, and went back to work, flicking his tongue around her button, occasionally giving long licks all the way up to her bottom before working his way back down, letting her wetness trail down his lips and chin, loving her taste and scent, just sweet enough.

After several moments, both of them had discovered they could steer one another. When he'd give her a long, slow lick, she tended to react by taking him deeper. When she'd swirl her tongue around his head, he'd apply more pressure. Together, they drove one another towards the brink, her hips already threatening to give out, and his muscles already tensing for the inevitable.

She released him from her mouth with a loud pop, a trick that never ceased to amuse her, and seemed to work for him too. "We can," she began, before she had another shiver shoot across her spine. He wasn't stopping. "We can finish here, or…" another shudder, this one accompanied by a restrained squeak. "We can go further. Damnit Deke!" She squealed again, trying desperately not to climax, and not having her time made easier.

She slowly stroked him as she tried to talk, which gave him enough time to cool down. He was ready to go, but he wasn't quite finished yet. A quickie was well and good, but they were going to see it through right. He pushed gently on her bottom, causing her to scoot down towards the end of the bed. As she did, he squirmed up, pushing his back against the wall, and coming up behind her, using his powers to rid himself of his clothing as he did.

Barbara smiled as she knew what was coming next. Instinctively, she pushed her bottom up into the air and laid her head and shoulders onto the bed. She felt him take hold of her hips, and pulled her carefully away from the foot of the bed, and then, he entered her. She was extremely wet from arousal and his attention, making it so much easier to drive himself home. She gasped quickly, and noisily, already gripping the blankets, as he sunk himself to his hips within her.

As much as she loved being driven into, she also enjoyed the way his hands felt on her hips. Strong, but not crushing. As he set up a rhythm, that delicious friction began working its magic on her. She could feel every bit of him sliding into, and out of her, pushing her back towards orgasm. This one, she didn't fight.

Barbara's internal muscles gripped him as she stifled her cry of pleasure, her first orgasm ripping through her more powerfully than she'd expected. When he looked down, he could see her body was still trying to prime itself, her dew covering his shaft. Deke slowed down a moment to let her enjoy the sensations, Barbara feeling wonderfully numb all over for a moment.

To give her just enough break, he withdrew and helped her onto her back so he could look at her. Her breasts bounced beautifully, and on her back, unrestrained by gravity, they looked their best. She smiled at him as he positioned himself at her opening, slipping in slowly this time, relishing the slick warmth of her petals as he filled her.

Barbara's eyes rolled as he sank in, pushing her walls out perfectly. His smile, so satisfied and genuine as he entered her, was just as perfect to her. She locked her legs behind his back, putting just enough pressure on him to let him know he wasn't getting free until she was ready.

She worked her hips as he moved within her, rolling them as his hips pistoned slowly. She'd had hers, and would probably have another before he was done, but she wanted to make sure his was just as nice, and she knew how much he enjoyed her contributions, even on her back.

His breath began coming in less controlled gasps as he drew near. Barbara felt her next coming along as well, and relaxed into it, letting it take her. Unable to keep himself upright, he leaned down and into her. She wrapped her arms around him, nipped his neck, and whispered something quite dirty into his ear, letting her lips brush against as she spoke.

"Cum for me." Is all she said, her words clear amidst her pleasured breathing. It was a calculated risk, she wasn't much for dirty talk, but apparently a simple phrase was enough. His pace picked up, which sent her soaring as well, and held her there. He drove hard into her, jackhammering even, causing her climax to hit and just keep magnifying.

Her fingernails in his back, that was what finally did it for him, that, and her desperate attempts to keep from screaming. Deke shuddered and pushed back, withdrawing in just enough time. He laid his shaft against her button, and finished. Several thick ropes shot across her stomach and breasts. The first struck her on the chin, while the next two left trails across her breasts. A few more came to rest across her well defined abdomen, the warmth of it on her skin bringing a measure of pride to her; she was responsible for that, and the completely derpy look on his face when it happened.

Each pulse pressed onto her button, the sensation perfectly wonderful, and an excellent way to finish coming down from orgasm. Feeling her dirty talk wasn't quite enough reward, she wiped at what had gotten onto her chin away with her thumb, and licked it clean, pointedly looking him in the eye when she did.

Deke only gave her a lopsided grin, which made no sense until it hit her taste buds. It wasn't chocolate, like she'd joked a few months ago, but it was sweet, almost tasty. She trailed her finger across her breasts, gathering more, and disposed of that in a similar manner.

"Woah, that's hot." Deke muttered, trying to recover himself well enough to move. He'd played hell figuring out how to actually meet her request, until he'd picked up a blood glucose meter and began toying with that specific system until his sugar dropped below baseline by a couple of points without feeling other adverse effects.

Barbara just kept that sultry look on her face as she cleaned herself. The thought occurred her that she'd seen similar behavior in plenty of her 'research material', was she hiding a truly dirty girl all along? It didn't matter in the scope of things though. She'd long ago given up any other idea than that they did belong to one another, and her boy was willing to readjust his body's basic functions to try and answer a joking request. She could play at being a little tramp on occasion. It was between them, in a loving, consensual, committed relationship anyway.

After a few moments, she released her legs from his back, and patted the bed next to her. He got down from his knees and laid there while she rummaged in his nightstand for baby wipes. He'd picked up that particular habit from several other capes who swore by them, most notably any who wore tights. (or Kevlar reinforced polymer, if one was being picky.)

After tidying herself up, she cured back up against her lover, and took over as the official hair petter in this particular bed. How Betty could suggest he needed a haircut was beyond her, Barbara loved his thick mane of hair and wouldn't have it any other way, which she'd told her quite plainly. Well, her words were a playful 'back the hell off' but the point was still the same.

Made suitably exhausted, her boy was asleep in within minutes. Barbara laid there, not missing the fact that she was quite literally resting him against her breast while he slept. She was wide awake though, thoroughly invigorated by their lovemaking and an incredible night's sleep. Hating to leave him, she finally slipped from the bed and dressed herself, taking the time to throw on the bra she stashed in his room.

Dressed and ready for the day, she opened his phone to leave him a note, and noticed he'd left his texting app open. She refused to read his texts, she was absolutely not that kind of girl, but she did notice a message Deke had sent to Godiva, telling her thanks and that she wouldn't regret it. Barbara didn't know what that had to do with anything, but her detective's curiosity was already nagging at her.

That feeling got squashed quickly though. Deke had given her the utmost in personal privacy, without being asked for it once, she absolutely would not violate that. Opening his notepad app, she typed her thoughts, and then plugged his phone in for him.

Like a whisper, she was out the door, and headed towards her own room. Unlike Deke, she had a roommate, who would pester her incessantly with questions. It was Bette at least, who Barbara had been friends with for several years, but still, there would be questions.

Her roommate waved when she walked into their room. "Happy Birthday!" she said cheerfully as she brushed out her springy blonde hair. "I notice you didn't come back last night."

Barbara's mood was entirely too good. "You're right, I didn't." She said cheerfully.

"So, I take it things went well?" Bette asked, leaning back into her bed.

"Oh yeah, I slept like a brick. Also, before you ask, yes, twice, it was very good." Barbara said, setting about changing into something more suitable for her day. She took a minute to decide between a thin sweater and a button down, and went with the button down, which she paired with a high scooped camisole. Jeans of course, and her trusty old boots, which probably deserved to be thrown out but she just couldn't bring herself to.

"You ready for tonight?" Bette asked with a taunting tone. She'd made such plans, and couldn't wait to spring them.

"I will be." Barbara said, carefully folding her clothes and changing into a gym outfit. She didn't have the time for the Gymnastics team, something which had disappointed her dad (and the coach) to no end, but as a student, she had full run of the school's gym, and having some time with the bars was just what she needed. "You coming to the gym with me?"

"No, I've got some stuff to do before tonight. You have fun though!" Bette said, waving her off.

The moment Barbara was gone, Bette grabbed her phone. "Sorry," She said immediately. "I didn't expect Babs back so soon."

"Yeah, she looked great actually." Bette said after a moment, and then blushed.

"I could always handle feeling a little better too Dick. She won't be back for a while, she's hitting the gym."


	4. Chapter 4

September 23rd  
Gotham City  
1230 EST

The bar bowed the moment she gripped it, her weight pulling it down by an inch or so. Barbara bent her legs at the waist and whipped herself up into a handstand, stalling there for a moment before completing a rotation and releasing into a flip. Her hands shot out and grabbed the higher bar. She used her momentum to come into another rotation, this time bringing her legs into a split as she went around the bar.

It was just her, gravity, the air, and the bars. There was nothing else. There was no one else. In these moments, she was well and truly free. Success and failure were hers to decide, and that decision came by way of her timing, muscle, agility, and training.

Below her, a few students had gathered to watch her as she worked the bars into submission. Barbara didn't notice them, they weren't important at the moment. One commented on how they were amazed she could do that without throwing up. Another was too dumbfounded to speak. A third was shooting video.

The burn began building in her shoulders and abdomen, signaling an end to her impromptu routine. She vaulted off the high bar into a series of flips, and quite counter to Olympic rules, instead of just sticking the landing, she allowed her momentum to propel her into a quick series of flips and somersaults, bringing her quite a distance from the landing spot.

Barbara walked over to her towel and water bottle, pulling her gymnast's grips off as she walked. Looking at her phone, she saw a couple of texts from her dad. They were just messages to confirm their lunch date and a happy birthday wish. She smiled warmly at that, sent off a reply, and then turned around to snap a selfie with the uneven bars in the background. This, she uploaded to Instagram, offering something motivational in the caption.

Barbara took off after that, grabbed a quick shower in the gym locker room, and dressed there. She could have gone back to her room, but seeing as how her roommate still thought she was keeping her relationship with Dick a secret, Barbara decided to let it slide for now.

Heading out, she took the train to her Dad's apartment. Well, it was her apartment too, but more and more she found herself not sleeping there. She knew it pained him, but he never said much about it. What father really wanted to see his little girl leave the nest, especially when it had just been the two of them for so long? She resolved to spend some time there, as her last week at home before packing off for college had been a blast.

This also gave her time to consider the holidays. Thanksgiving was in a couple of months, and Christmas right after. Deke hadn't said anything about celebrating with his other family, which had gotten her wondering if they were going to butt heads about where to go. She refused to spend that time anywhere but with her Dad, it had been them, and it would always be them. Barbara almost texted her boy to ask, but decided against it. He'd casually mentioned he'd trained himself to wake up to her ringtone in the event of an emergency, and she didn't want to wake him for something that could wait a day or two.

Upon arriving, she saw her father, Commissioner Jim Gordon, waiting at the train station. Even on his off days, he still wore that beaten old detective's coat. He'd joked about being buried in it but Barbara hadn't found that the slightest bit funny. Neither had Bruce when she'd mentioned it, which was something of a shock to her.

"Hi daddy!" She said brightly, and dashed off to hug him. He took her up and gave her a squeeze, reminding her of when she was a little girl. Even now, his mustache tickled her.

"Happy birthday Barb!" He said, and set her down. "Your pick, where are we going?"

She took on a thoughtful look for a moment before answering. "I want to try Stalks." She said after a moment.

"The vegan place on twenty fifth?" Jim asked, making a face.

"You'll love it, I promise." She said, already walking that direction. Jim, resigned to the fact that nobody was taming his girl, just followed along glumly. He'd told her to pick, and this is what he got for it. They talked as they walked, lighthearted banter about school, her boyfriend, his work, his lack of girlfriend, his lack of proper diet and exercise, crimefighting, the usual stuff.

Barbara stopped a block early and smiled, which gave Jim pause, especially when she tugged on his sleeve to draw him into Bucko's Pizza. She used to do that when she was little and she wanted something, and he couldn't tell her no then. He wasn't about to tell her no now that she apparently didn't want vegan.

"You used to bring me here a lot." Barbara said as they grabbed a table. "I remember the owner used to call you Officer Jimbo."

"Stavros? Yeah, he's still here." Jim said, waving at the elderly man behind the counter. Immediately, the old Greek immigrant came over, carrying two glasses and a pitcher of soda. His expression was one of excited glee.

"The Gordons!" The old man said with an accent which had thinned with time. "I remember your usual order, you want I should make it happen?"

"Your birthday Barb." Jim said, gesturing towards his one and only daughter.

She was going to answer, but Stavros beat her to it. "Little Miss Gordon's birthday is today!? Not so little anymore I think. Now just Miss Gordon!" He exclaimed. He always seemed excited. "You order whatever you want! Old Stavros will make it special! I will tell everyone of the beautiful young woman who orders her pizza here!"

Barbara giggled at the kind old man, and wondered what he'd say if he knew the reason he hadn't gotten robbed blind a year ago was her. "Pepperoni, olives, and mushrooms please." She asked, blushing at the man.

"I wish that man would get excited about something." Jim said after Stavros had left for the kitchen. "It's like he's a stone."

"I know!" Barbara exclaimed, taking a sip of her soda. She rarely touched the stuff, but she'd been good and it was her birthday, it was worth slipping a little.

They chattered more as they waited for their lunch. Mostly Jim was beating around the bush about her nightlife. He had a feeling it was her that left some people strung up outside of the ninth. Batman stopped doing that a while ago when the novelty wore off, and neither Robin ever picked up the habit.

When their lunch arrived, they dove in with abandon. Stavros had loaded the pie down, extra everything, and it was amazing. Father and daughter ate, and laughed, and Stavros had even opened the jukebox and put several credits on the old machine for them. Jim was mildly surprised she was singing along with as many of the old tunes he'd played as she was. They used to, and still did when the opportunity arose, play the radio loud and sing along, but her knowledge of older music had expanded, and it made him happy. Really, she made him happy.

They finished their meal with her promising to spend more time at home with him. He knew she would, but he also knew he'd shoo her off more than a couple of times. She didn't need to cohabitate with a crusty old cop any more. He loved the company, but he knew she had her own life to live. Besides, Gotham needed them, and that mistress' call never went unheard.

Outside, the two of them walked back to the train station, still carrying on as they had during their lunch. Both were stuffed to the gills, and carrying leftovers besides. Barbara kissed her dad goodbye and told him she loved him, and hopped the next train back to school. She was just down the stairs from the train stop when she saw a familiar black car sitting by the side of the street.

She strolled over, the door to the back seat opening once she'd gotten closer. Inside, Bruce Wayne sat, giving a rare smile and beckoning her to get in.

"Hello Bruce." Barbara said, getting comfortable. "Does duty call?" She asked.

"I wouldn't be in _this_ car if it did." Bruce said, and handed her a small box. "Happy birthday." He said to her.

The box itself was almost a foot long and solid wood, lacquered black and glass smooth. She slid it open and saw a pair of what looked like chopsticks at first glance. They were hair sticks, and beautiful ones. Made of the same black lacquered wood and capped with teardrop shaped onyxes, they rested in rich silk. "Bruce, these are beautiful." She said, and immediately took her hair tie out before putting them in. Watching old kung fu movies when she should have been in bed had definitely helped her out here.

"I thought you'd like them. I picked them up on my last trip to Japan. I was going to save them for Christmas, but Alfred suggested I give them to you for your birthday." Bruce said to her as he watched her twist her hair up with them.

"What Master Bruce is neglecting to mention is, he forgot your birthday Mistress Barbara." Alfred said from the front seat. "I fear he would be lost without me."

Barbara giggled at the kind old man who'd served as a surrogate grandfather to her almost since they day they'd met. "It's okay Alfred. I don't mind."

"Can we drop you at school?" Bruce asked. "It's on the way to the office."

Barbara considered that. She needed to walk some of this pizza off, but it might take her a week to make it back to school at the rate she'd be traveling. "Yes please," she said, deciding to make it back to school in a reasonable amount of time. "Dick said he was taking my patrol tonight."

Bruce nodded at her. "Enjoy tonight. It's back to business as usual tomorrow. Vincent Maroni takes the stand in three days and I expect there's going to be trouble."

As the bookkeeper for the Maroni family, Vincent knew more than anyone aside of Don Maroni himself, including business with the other families. Word hadn't come out what kind of deal he cut with the DA, but several other high profile individuals wouldn't want their business leaked so easily.

"Done." Barbara said. The past few nights had been slow, just petty crime here and there. She knew it wouldn't be long before Arkham had another mishap and she wanted to keep sharp. Bruce was right about one thing though, she was absolutely going to enjoy tonight.

"Alfred, if you can drop me here please?" Barbara asked with a sweet tone. She dearly loved that kindly old Englishman, and she wanted him to know it. When he pulled the car to a stop, she leaned over the seat and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you!"

"Of course Mistress Barbara. And, happy birthday." He told her as he unlocked the door. She slipped out with another thank you to him, quickly to avoid anyone noticing she was riding around with Bruce Wayne. Once they'd driven off, Barbara wandered towards the dorms, her step remarkably light for the amount she'd eaten for lunch. It seemed like every time she was offered pizza she did this. That was something to work on.

She went by her room first, but the sock hanging on the door (a men's sock, and a designer brand at that.) steered her away with an arched eyebrow. She strolled casually into the men's dorms, glad she was able to just go in the front door instead of sneaking in afterhours like she usually did.

At Deke's room, she slipped in, and all she could do was smile. Her lazybones was still asleep, though he had thrown some underwear on at some point, meaning he'd woken up for something.

Barbara crawled into bed and up against him, nuzzling him. A low, contented rumble greeted her ears as he returned to the waking world. "Hey you." He said, kissing the top of her head. "You're gonna be late for lunch with your dad."

"There and back again Cowboy." Barbara said, watching him wake up. There were days where he was an absolute beast to get out of bed, she was glad to see this wasn't one of them. "It's almost four."

"Damn." He said, smacking himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand. "I slept too long. I've got stuff to do."

Barbara watched as he grabbed his phone. He paused long enough to read her note, smiled, and then checked his texts. The reply he was hoping to get was staring him right in the face. That being covered, he grabbed his girlfriend up in a hug and squeezed her tight. "I love you too." He said, referencing the end of her message to him.

Barbara kissed him on the side of his chin and watched as he went about his tasks, all from the flat of his back while she lay cuddled up next to him. Laundry began flying about the room, reminding her of Fantasia, while he dialed a number on his phone. She remembered the first time he'd tried using his powers to type on a touchscreen, and how it didn't work. He'd been so annoyed at that she couldn't help but laugh. He'd since learned though.

"Hey Lance, yeah look man, I can't talk in detail, but you're on for tonight. Whatever happens is on you, okay?" he said, and if her curiosity wasn't piqued before, it was then.

"Yeah, that's cool, you're the one doing this, not me. I trust you." Deke said, his socks wiggling onto his feet of what looked like their own volition. Barbara giggled at the sight of it.

"Dude, she's right here, okay? I got faith in you buddy, kick ass like I know you will." Deke said, and ended the call, giving his girlfriend a sheepish look.

"So yeah, sorry about that." He apologized, catching a shirt in midair to pull on. "I talked Lady G into going on a date with a guy down the hall in exchange for a present for you."

"So, you pimped your teammate out to pay for a gift for me?" Barbara asked, puzzled at him being so casual about it. This wasn't like him. "I'll be honest, I don't know how I feel about that."

"No babe, not exactly. She had asked me to set her up with a Gotham boy a while back. I think she was talking about Nightwing, but she was never specific. Lance has a skill I need, and he's been in the market a while, so I put two and two together. I wouldn't whore anyone out." He explained, pulling his shirt on. It was one she'd bought him when classes first started, a Gotham U rugby shirt that he seemed to love wearing.

"Okay, that I can handle." Barbara said, scooting off the bed so he could pull his pants on manually. The mental picture of them sliding up his legs was hilarious to her, but the chance of his zipper getting involved was something she didn't think he'd want to risk.

Deke did just that, and once fully dressed; he pounced his beloved and brought her back down to the mattress. She giggled at him as he wrapped her up in a hug and began raining kisses on her. "You are loved." He said to her after a moment.

"I'm a lucky girl." She agreed. "You're loved too you know." She pointed out, reaching her head up to kiss his nose.

"Yeah, but today's about you." Deke said, sitting back up with her. "And speaking of, I have to go pick up Lady G from the Zeta stop. You wanna come with me?"

"I have nothing else to do. My roommate's, ahem, busy." Barbara said. She spared details for the sake of privacy. "But, it's college so…" She added with a shrug.

"Well, good for her." Deke said, sounding genuinely happy for her. If he only knew.


	5. Chapter 5

September 23rd  
Gotham City  
1630 EST

"Recognize Godiva E Zero Four." Came the muffled announcement from within the photo booth in the Gotham alley. A yellow flash later and Godiva was exiting the thing, to see Mustang and Batgirl waiting on her. Well, they were dressed like people, so Deke and Barbara.

"I get a welcome committee?" Godiva said, tossing a small bag over her shoulder. "Sweet."

"Welcome to Gotham." Barbara said, leading the three of them out of the alleyway. "We've got some time if you want to see anything."

Godiva shook her head. "I'm good, I'll make my date show me around." She said, handing a small package off to Deke while Barbara's back was turned. He quickly stuffed it into his jacket pocket and kept walking.

"Not a bad idea actually." Deke said. "Lance grew up here too, he probably knows all the good sights."

"Where are you staying tonight?" Barbara asked as they made it to the street. She turned them towards the train station and kept walking along, hoping Deke wasn't hungry enough to want to hit the nearby Big Belly Burger. She was still stuffed from lunch, and didn't want to eat herself sick.

"If everything goes well, this Lance guy's room. If not, Mu… Deke said he doesn't actually have a roommate so I was going to sleep there, and if his roommate does show up, things might still go well. I've got options." Godiva said. In her own way, she was one hell of an optimist.

"You'll have the run of his room then, just be careful, they're not co-ed dorms." Barbara said. Godiva getting caught in Deke's room could spell trouble for him.

"Not planning on heading back tonight?" Godiva asked with an arched brow, pausing to turn and look at her teammate and his love.

"No." Barbara said primly. "Not planning to at all."

Deke just blushed, considering hitting the Big Belly Burger across the street. A sensation of unease washed over him from Barbara as far as that place was concerned, but he hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday and he was getting willing to eat a fire hydrant. "Can I catch up to you two in a minute?" He finally asked, seeing his opportunity start to pass.

"I'm not hungry, but go for it." Barbara said. She turned to look at Godiva. "Have you had their food?"

"Yeah, I've spent time in Star City, I've had the original." The other woman replied. "But if you're going, I could take a chocolate shake."

"Done." Deke said, and scurried off that way, the grumbling of his stomach too much to ignore.

They parted ways upon arrival on campus, Deke taking Godiva to the dorms, and Barbara heading off to get dressed for the evening. While the Gotham fall weather demanded a sweater, the evening demanded a dress. Barbara selected a little black number that covered all of her bases but put enough out for show to hold interest, and paired it with a waist length black leather jacket. A pair of knockoff designer heels completed the outfit.

While she chose her clothing, Bette went on about their itinerary. First was dinner at 52, a trendy place near campus that did a great job of balancing good food, good atmosphere, and good prices. The chef there, in fact, was a graduate of Gotham U, and she'd opened the place purely because the other available locations near campus were either grease and beer, or overpriced cocktails and haute frippery.

Afterwards, it was karaoke and dancing at the Spire, one of the hotter locations for Gotham youth. It sat atop a large skyscraper, which gave the place its name, and unbeknownst to most of Gotham, it was owned by a company which, if one was diligent enough, could be traced back to Wayne Enterprises. The multistory hotspot housed a great many things to do, and was frequented by older teenagers and younger adults who had the option of going somewhere else and drinking but instead chose to go do fun things. Since it had opened two years ago, the place had tripled its income, and since it operated as a non-profit, that money went into developing the place and paying more staff.

That it had a remarkable view of the skyline with unfettered access to the portion of the sky where the Batsignal would shine was not coincidental.

"Dick said he's sorry he couldn't make it." Bette said, snapping Barbara out of her preparations. "Something about having to fly to Canada for some kind of business thing tomorrow with Mister Wayne."

"Sounds about right." Barbara said. She knew he'd taken her patrol, but what he wasn't saying was too many of Barbara's friends around school knew him by Dick, and too many of her friends in the costumed life knew him by Nightwing, and putting two and two together wouldn't take much effort. She knew Deke suspected something, but either he was a master at playing dumb, or he just didn't worry about it. Barbara assumed the latter, as her boy's curiosity manifested itself in other ways.

"He left this though," Bette said, shimmying into a short blue dress. She pointed at a small wrapped box on her nightstand once she had a free hand. "He said you can't open it until you get to open the rest."

"He left it huh?" Barbara said, looking at Bette pointedly. The blonde girl flushed bright red and began sputtering an excuse. Barbara longed to call her friend out on her attempted ruse, but feigned ignorance, figuring she could get miles more amusement out of hinting.

"Yeah, he uh, he dropped by, y'know, earlier. You were uh, you, uh, well, you were getting laid I think. I didn't tell him that though, because, y'know, not his business or anything." Bette said, fumbling over her words horribly. Subterfuge was absolutely not her strong suit.

"Well, that was nice of him to think of me before he left for that business trip." Barbara said pleasantly. She wasn't totally faking that either. Her last couple of birthdays he'd almost forgotten, so this was something new. While she watched Bette try and recover, Barbara began painting her lips a rich ruby red to match her hair. A rather provocative thought crossed her mind as she puckered her lips in front of the mirror, so she stashed the bottle of liquid lipstick in her clutch.

"Yes it was. Has Deke given you a present yet, besides, well, this morning?" Bette said, also dabbing some makeup on. She went a little more minimal on purpose, so as to not deflect attention from the birthday girl.

"Not yet. He said he got me a second present today, after I said something which gave him an idea. He actually fixed somebody up down the hall with a mutual friend to pay for it too. I have no idea what it is though. He acted like he got something else first though, but if he doesn't want to talk, he's not going to." Barbara said, glad he wasn't afraid to discuss his emotional state with her most of the time. Her phone pinged the moment she finished her statement; giving it a glance, she sent her reply to her boy, and went back to her makeup.

Bette watched as Barbara finished her makeup, and put her hair back up in those really nice chopsticks. She didn't know where Babs had gotten them, but she wore them well. Maybe, if she was cool, Babs might let her borrow them.

* * *

"So, did you promise this guy I'd sleep with him, or go out with him?" Godiva asked as she changed her own outfit. There was a blanket floating between them, courtesy of her teammate. Not that she cared, their base had one single co-ed locker room. The entire team had seen one another naked, except Fractal, who was freakishly private. It had actually got Godiva wondering if he was either really poorly endowed, or swinging something scary, and was self-conscious about it.

"I said, and I quote, 'I'll ask my friend if she's interested in going out with you tonight.' And besides that, I flat out told him if there was anything else happening, it's because he played his cards right. I ain't gonna whore you out, period."

"It's no big deal, I do it pretty well on my own." Godiva said, and she'd never admit she felt touched at the loyalty he was showing her. Well, the loyalty the whole team had shown her. "But wish me luck anyway."

"Oh yeah. Lance is a good guy, he wears his heart on his sleeve though. If he's into you, you'll know it, without a doubt. And Maddy, I appreciate it. Babs said something that got me thinking, and Lance is capable of doing it. He's a hell of an artist." Deke said, smoothing out his tucked in tee shirt, before tossing his suit coat on.

"You think he might draw me like one of his French girls? If he's willing, I'd be totally down for that. I'm dressed enough by the way, you can drop the sheet." Godiva said, tempted to quickly ditch her bra just to see his reaction.

Deke let his hold on the blanket go, and bent down to lace his boots. He'd spent forever polishing them, trying to look presentable. Barbara had finally beaten into his head the notion of not worrying about making her look bad, but he still wanted to look his best. "Yeah, I mean, he might be up for it. Wouldn't hurt to ask."

"Well, we might skip out on the party early then." Godiva said, and had to force herself to use real names. "Liho, Aasha, and Kris should be here by now. Aasha I know is here actually, she texted earlier, she was afraid to take the trains in Gotham."

"They ain't that bad." Deke muttered, adjusting his pant leg around his boot.

"Well of course they're not, you're what, six foot and change, two hundred and thirty pounds? Who's going to mess with a linebacker on a train?" Godiva said pointedly. "She's under five feet and if she's a hundred pounds I'm Taylor Swift. Her only defensive mechanism is flinging lightning too, she can't go anything but hard when she goes at all."

Deke thought about that for a minute. He was so used to his friend wielding the elements like a deity that he never stopped to think about it like that. "Yeah, I'm a dick." He said at length. "If I'd thought about it, I would have told her to wait until dark and then just fly."

"I already did that. She's been chilling at bookstore, waiting until sundown." Godiva said pointedly. "But, now you know better."

"Yeah, I owe her though." Deke said. "How are Liho and Kristof getting to 52?"

"Taxi probably. Kris says he's been here before, but he doesn't know the city that well." Godiva said, pulling her jeans up. "Believe it or not, but word is Aasha actually got Liho in long pants and a shirt."

"Lies." Deke said. "You speak falsehood. Such a thing could not exist."

"I thought so too, but apparently it's the truth." Godiva said, admiring her look in the mirror. Flattering jeans and a dangerously low cut orange blouse, it was simple, but effective. "Too much, not enough, just right?" She asked, getting in front of her teammate.

"I'd say you're doin' it right. It gets chilly at night here though, you might want a scarf or something so your boobs don't freeze." Deke said, giving his teammate a once over. "Remember that all-nighter we pulled in Barstow?"

Godiva shivered reflexively. How could she forget? "Okay, scarf it is. Does your woman keep one here?"

Deke shrugged and checked her overnight drawer in his dresser. "Yeah, if you're reppin' Ravenclaw." He said and tossed it to her. He grabbed his phone and fired off a text to Barbara to make sure she was okay with it.

"I pegged her for a Slytherin." Godiva said. "So driven and determined." She added as she tossed the scarf around her neck and let it settle over her breasts. She tugged at it until she was satisfied she'd be both warm and noticed.

Deke's phone chimed at that. Glancing down, he saw the message, and gave Godiva a thumbs up. "She said you're welcome to borrow her scarf."

"Yay, warm boobies!" Godiva said, and checked her smartwatch. "Speaking of warm boobies, I gotta go. Which room is his?"

"Three fifteen, across the hall and a little left." Deke said, hiding a snicker. Like the rest of his team, they were slowly working themselves out. He'd been insecure, Godiva had put on an air of indifference, Fractal had been a fussy micromanager, and Daeva had been timid. Now, Deke could stand on his own, Godiva wasn't afraid to show emotional response, Fractal could relax, and Daeva was using her big girl voice. Koa, well, that man was always a case of what-you-see-is-what-you-get. "Good luck, and if you two wind up back here, Eric keeps a box of condoms in his nightstand."

"Mustang, I am nothing if not prepared." Godiva said, chiding him. "I brought my own."

"Hope you need them all." Deke said, ushering her out the door. Once she left, he checked out the time for himself. Seeing he had more than enough, he withdrew the box Godiva had slipped him when she first arrived. Opening it, he was pleased to see everything was exactly as he'd hoped it would be.

She was going to kick his ass for getting her this, he knew she would, but it would be an ass whipping worth taking. Digging under his bed, he pulled out a small tube of wrapping paper, and began the process of wrapping her gift, which demanded a skill he pretty much lacked in its entirety. Fortunately though, he had plenty, and he had superpowers, so, like many basic tasks, he was able to cheat his way through it.

When he finished, the small, long box wrapped in black paper with purple stripes sat on his bed, looking like a six year old had done the job. Deke frowned, and almost rewrapped it, but let it be. Paper was a fleeting thing, only there to be torn. What was within, that was important.


	6. Chapter 6

September 23rd  
Gotham City  
1930 EST

52 was indeed the place to be. Bette was glad she'd made plans weeks in advance, because there was no other way to get a table in the place. The décor was trendy, rich wood and leather done in an austere and modern style. An extremely large booth had been waiting on the party, which had begun filtering in.

Barbara and Bette got there first, and watched as Deke showed up, a few people in tow. Barbara was immediately surprised to see Koa dressed in regular street clothes, which actually included shoes. She rose from the booth and greeted them, noticing Godiva wasn't among them. Of course, Koa had wrapped her up in another massive hug, but she was ready for it, and was able to give as good as she took.

"Happy birthday sistah!" He said, setting her down, and going to greet Bette. The poor girl didn't know what she was getting into.

"Yes, happy birthday." Daeva said next, hugging as well, and having to show caution in not getting her face directly in Barbara's cleavage. She also wore a slinky black dress, and was looking fierce as far as Barbara was concerned.

Fractal came next, and placed a friendly kiss on her cheek. "I hope it's been well so far." He said, adjusting his tie. He'd chosen a proper suit, and wore it comfortably.

"It has been," Barbara said with a smile, and then glanced up at her boy, wearing the linen suit coat he'd bought on their first date.

"I love you." He said to her, wrapping her into another big hug. "Happy birthday."

"I love you too." She replied, and kissed him on the nose, careful not to leave a red smear.

Introductions went around, Deke's team being introduced as co-workers of his. The team had prepared for this eventuality, developing cover stories that they could share at gatherings. A few other friends of Barbara's from school arrived as well.

They ate, joked, and carried on, a lot of time spent on getting to know one another. The food itself was wonderful, elevated pub grub mostly, but the preparation was solid and the ingredients were fresh. Barbara ate light, still not entirely empty from the massive lunch she shared with her dad, and also to save room for dessert. She worked hard to eat whatever she wanted on special occasions.

When dessert arrived, a collective ooh rose from the table. A large tiramisu with several spoons sat before them, practically begging to be eaten. Best of all though, unlike some regular franchise joint, no birthday song from the employees. It was during this dessert course that presents were given.

Gifts weren't such a big deal to Barbara, who wasn't the most materialistic woman. It was the gesture of kindness that really did it for her. Still, she couldn't deny that she'd been given some lovely things, and she would certainly appreciate them.

Bette had given her the special edition box set of her favorite anime, which included several hours of extras, bonus features, and behind-the-scenes material. Some of her school acquaintances had gotten her gift cards, one to a lingerie store she'd never have visited otherwise. That one had drawn some glances and more than a couple of snickers.

When she opened Dick's gift, she giggled. Contained within the small box was a small metal charm for a bracelet. For years he'd given her bracelet charms simply because she said she hated the idea of wearing her life story on her wrist. This one was a small police call box in the classic British design.

Barbara went through the rest of the gifts, thanking everyone graciously. Koa gave her a small wooden idol which he said would watch over her and bring good fortune. Daeva's gift was a rather ornate hair tie, and Fractal handed her a perfectly smooth metal sphere.

"It's a puzzle box." He said with a wink. "It should keep you busy a few days."

"I'm giving you mine at the Spire." Deke said, whispering into her ear. She smiled at the tickling of his breath against her ear, and covered it by offering him a bite of her tiramisu. Ever since he'd sat down next to her, his hand had been on her leg, squeezing softly and occasionally stroking.

"You didn't have to get me anything. We're college students, it's not like we're made of money." Barbara admonished, putting a hand on his and squeezing back.

"Don't worry about that. Just enjoy your night." He suggested, kissing her on the cheek. She turned her head at the last moment and caught it on the lips, which gave Bette a chance to catch a picture of them.

A few hours later, after the party had moved to the Spire, Nightwing had fed Two-Face a mouthful of knuckles, and Godiva had worn her date out, Deke and his beloved were dancing on the large floor of the nightclub. Something new and slow came on, giving him the chance to not look quite so goofy, so he took advantage of it, pulling his girl tight to him.

"Has it been a good day?" He asked her as they swayed like high school kids at prom.

"It's been a wonderful day." She replied, resting her head on his shoulder and nuzzling.

"Good, you deserve it." He told her, his hands sliding down to the small of her back. "A woman like you, kicking ass and saving lives, good days were made for you."

Barbara tilted her head up and kissed him on the line of his jaw. She wanted to kiss him deeper, as bad as he wanted to drop his hands lower, but since the Spire was made for youth to have a safer environment, both had agreed to keep their PDA more mild than usual. "After this song, do you want to get some air?"

"Yes I do." Deke replied. He still hadn't given her his gift, and the package was still in his pants pocket, making it hard to move around comfortably.

They danced a while longer, whispering flirtatious little things until the song passed. She led him outside, onto the balcony, which overlooked downtown Gotham. From up here, the city looked a lot less dangerous, just a tranquil sea of lights in a dark backdrop. He could see why she loved doing what she did.

"So, here's this." He told her, handing her the small wrapped box. She took a look at it, spoke no judgement on the wrapping job, and carefully tore into the paper.

When she opened the simple jewelry box, her mouth opened silently. She glanced up at her boy, her ocean blue eyes disbelieving what she saw. Contained within the box was a matched set, earrings, pendant, ring, tennis bracelet, and even a tiny nose stud, all in the same black sapphire that she'd worn on their mission to Monaco back in July. In the dim light, everything still shone purple, and it was all in gold settings.

"Marshall Deacon, how in God's name did you afford this?" She said, not taking the things out of the box so she could make him return them.

"I owe Fractal a LOT of chores." Deke said, his face turning red. "After I'm a doctor, I'll get you a real set, but these are as close as I can get." He said, taking the ring out first to slide on her right middle finger, just to ensure there was no confusion as to its purpose.

Satisfied he hadn't sold his family home to buy them, Barbara began changing her current jewelry out for what was within the box. "Okay, that I can live with, and I don't care how close or not these are, they're beautiful."

"You're beautiful. These are just sparkly things; it's the woman wearing them that makes them special." He said, glad he'd convinced Daeva to coach him on what to say for this. He took the pendant and stood behind her. Barbara pulled her hair up to give her neck exposure, and he clasped the necklace on her, taking a moment to place a kiss on the nape of her neck.

He hadn't expected goosebumps from that, but he'd take them. Barbara turned around, well aware of it, and kissed him again, this time full on the lips. "Thank you." She said, rubbing noses with him once they released each other's lips. "You're a good boyfriend."

"It's all your fault. It's easy to love you." He said, kissing the tip of her nose.

"Am I interrupting?" The two heard from above them. Barbara cursed herself for not noticing their observer, and Deke almost tied them up in a telekinetic grip, until the shadows released the young man in the red costume and black cape.

"No little brother, not at all." Deke said sarcastically, stepping out of the way so Robin could step off the ledge and onto the balcony with them. He walked over and kissed Barbara on the cheek, and handed her something small.

"Happy birthday Babs." He said kindly. "I can't stick around, Nightwing's running down a lead on something Two-Face was working on, I said I'd take over while he gets that taken care of."

"Go on Robin, be careful." Barbara said, kissing him back on the cheek. She adored him, like the little brother she never had. At the rate he was going, she was going to be running background checks on girls before this time next year.

"Mind your six bro." Deke called out after him. Tim Drake had similarly influenced his life as well, being one of the first to really focus on training him once he'd began wearing the name Mustang.

Robin leapt off the building, launching a line once he'd dropped several stories. As he swung away, Barbara opened her hand to see what he'd given her. "The boy's a natural detective." She said, showing Deke the thumb drive in her hand.

"He got you a flash drive?" Deke asked, puzzled. He could have gotten her one, but she seemed to have about thirteen million of the things laying around at any given moment.

"No, he got me a master decryption key. This thing could break the Pentagon in a couple of minutes and nobody would ever know. I've been trying to get my hands on one for months." Barbara said. "I really am loved, aren't I?"

"I told you, you're easy to love." Deke replied, enjoying the cool breeze hitting him. Barbara had ditched her short black jacket inside, so he took his off and put it around her shoulders.

Barbara snuggled into his jacket, enjoying the scent of him combined with his cologne. "I dunno, I've been frazzled and bitchy lately." She argued. "I feel like I'm not so easy to love like that."

"You've been working your ass off darlin'." Deke said patiently. "Besides, you're the one who taught me you love someone all the time, not just when it's convenient."

Barbara took hold of her boy by the shirt, pulling him into her. "You aren't allowed to go anywhere, got me? I'm not letting you go."

"As you wish." Deke replied, quoting a movie that both his beloved and his mother had both considered a favorite. "But, Bette's looking for you, she wants to do karaoke. We might wanna go in there and rock a million faces."

Barbara leaned up and kissed her boy again. "Okay, and later, we can rock each other's." she said with a naughty wink and smirk. She knew she could be a handful sometimes, but she liked to think that part of that handful was comprised of good things.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me he could sing like that?" Barbara said through her giggles as she unlocked the door to what might as well be their apartment. "I never expected Liho to have that kind of voice!"

"Right?" Deke replied, flicking the lights on. He picked his girl up and carried her into the small apartment, loving the way she nuzzled into his neck when he did it. "I'm just glad he left the Elvis to me. I can't be outdone on the King."

Barbara snickered at that, glad she had video of it. "Sing it again." She asked, all but demanding it. At least she was cute about it.

Deke sighed as he sat down on the couch, still holding her. "Wise men say only fools rush in, but I can't help falling in love with you. Shall I stay? Would it be a sin, If I can't help falling in love with you?" He sang, doing his very best. "Thank you, thank you very much." He added when she giggled and clapped. "You uh, you wailed that Pat Benatar too y'know. It was seriously sexy."

Barbara blushed at that one. "Love is a battlefield Cowboy, what can I say?" she said through more giggles.

"You can say you meant what you said earlier about not letting me go." Deke said, getting sappy and serious at the same time. "We've been dating like six months now, I wanna make sure you're not tired of me."

"Nope." Barbara said, denying him a lecture because this didn't warrant one. "I'm comfortable and happy, and I like it this way."

"Okay then, all I needed to know. Well, no, I need to know one more thing. You've got forty five minutes of birthday left, and you're not exactly hiding what you want." Deke said, which drew a smirk and a delicately arched eyebrow from his girl. "Tell me how I can please you."

Barbara got that dangerously adorable thoughtful look on her face, where she glanced up and to the right, and her lips pursed. "Alright boyfriend," She said after a moment. "I would very much enjoy being made love to."

"As you wish." He said, and stood back up, still holding her in his arms, to carry her into the bedroom.

"You spoil me you know." She said to him once he'd laid her down on the bed.

"I don't mind." Deke replied, digging the candles out of the nightstand to begin arranging them around the room. "It's not like you're the most demanding woman in the world. You're happy with love, respect, and patience, and I've got plenty of all three."

"I am." Barbara said, smoothing out her dress while she was laying on the bed. As her boy began lighting the candles, she tousled her hair out a little and bent a knee up to try and look like someone in a magazine. "And I'm glad you do. That's why I think we work well together. Neither of us need to demand anything from the other."

"It's because we're too busy being demanding on ourselves." Deke said, lighting the last candle, and flicking the light switch off, causing the room to be bathed in a soft yellow orange glow. He always thought she looked the most attractive in candlelight, though he might have a bias about that.

"True words are true." Barbara said, making a beckoning motion to her boy. She had a strong desire to become one with him, and it might be an unfortunately long while before they'd have another chance.


	7. Chapter 7 (Lemon Wedges)

September 23rd  
Gotham City  
2325 EST

Barbara welcomed her lover with open arms as he climbed into bed and knelt over her. They pressed lips, feeling one another's mood out. When she pulled away quickly only to reach in again, it was clear she was feeling playful. That would do nicely.

Deke brushed her hair out of the way (half the reason she'd tousled it in the first place), and cupped her face, but instead of putting a single deep kiss on her, he rained tiny little pecks here and there, bringing a giggle out of her. She tousled his hair and pulled him in, wanting to feel his chest against hers as much as anything else.

They kissed each other, just happy to be close, for quite a while, before Deke put his hand on her collarbone, and slipped one of the straps of her dress off her shoulders. Barbara covered her mouth in mock scandal, but couldn't hold the expression as he kissed along where his hand had just been.

The sensations, both arousing and amusing all at once, brought a flush to her pale chest, and the teasing feeling caused her breathing to increase, which brought the top swell of her breasts up. Instead of going for those, he slipped the other strap off her shoulder, letting them drape against her arms.

The sight of her like that, in the early stages of arousal, her dress slipping just down her body, while her skin was illuminated in the soft glow of candlelight, it was perfection to his eyes. Deke locked the picture in his mind, holding onto it tight, before leaning back down against her to begin kissing her deeper.

Barbara wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and slid a leg against his side, feeling his body beneath his clothes, the different textures becoming a complex of sensations. She kissed him back but, kinetic as always, she had to do something with her hands, and busied herself pulling his shirt up. She wasn't feeling particularly urgent about the whole thing though, she had nothing to do and nowhere to be the next day, so instead of the impassioned yanking she was coming to realize was her regular MO, she instead let her fingertips crawl an inch at a time, ticking and scratching his back as she pulled at the material covering his torso.

It did indeed tickle him as she crawled her fingers along his back, but it was a good tickle. Well, all of her touches were good, but this didn't cause an involuntary escape reaction. Deke just felt her fingernails work as he slid his hands up her sides, still avoiding her breasts. He wanted very much to fill his hands with those spectacular ornaments of hers, but there was protocol here. Still, she shivered at his touch, the way his fingertips barely made contact against her hips and ribs, eliciting another giggle from her, this time functionally into his mouth as they kissed.

He couldn't help but giggle back at her, which turned into a vicious cycle for a moment, leaving them laughing at each other while trying, and failing miserably, to kiss one another. Barbara, after a moment, decided that it was enough of that, and pulled his shirt off completely, causing him to lean into a kneeling vertical position while she tugged the material off, leaving him bare chested in front of her.

Not pleased at being the first to lose clothing, Deke wrapped his fingers into the shoulder straps of Barbara's dress, and pulled them down, causing the front of her dress to roll away and her nipples to just barely expose, the small stiff peaks standing proud as they were freed.

"Excuse you sir," Barbara said playfully. "Those are mine."

"They are, but I was hoping I could enjoy them a while." He drawled, still inching her dress off of her. She made no move to stop him, instead relishing the way the satiny material slipped across her breasts, the silky feeling exquisite to her.

"Then please, enjoy yourself." She said, and pulled herself up to put her chest into easy reach. It also served to help him slip her dress completely off, the material slipping against her abdomen once it had cleared her breasts, to land in a shimmery black puddle around her knees.

"Did you forget something?" Deke asked as he kissed along the tops of her breasts. He couldn't miss the sight of her dress clearing her body, and was quite shocked at what he saw.

"In my haste to get ready, I _might_ have forgotten a few things." Barbara said while biting her finger, referencing her complete lack of underwear. She didn't go commando often, but on an occasion like tonight, she couldn't resist. She'd honestly hoped they might have been able to slip off at the Spire for another quick little tryst, but they hadn't had enough alone time to make it happen.

"Naughty, naughty girl." Deke said, and took one of her nipples into his mouth, sucking on it softly. Barbara hummed contentedly as she played with his hair. She'd been turned on all day, and while their morning activities were certainly enjoyable, she was feeling particularly insatiable.

"I _am_ a naughty girl. I keep telling you this." She said breathily. His attention was doing wonderful things for her. She could feel her growing arousal quite clearly, the heat between her legs beginning to get harder to ignore. "But I'm your naughty girl, so what's that say about you?"

"I have awesome taste?" Deke said, before kissing her again. She rode his weight down against the bed and brought her legs up to keep hold of him. Their tongues danced and dueled for several moments before Barbara chose to take the initiative, using her legs to flip him over until she was on top.

"I'm happy you think so." She said, loving his surprised reaction at her bedroom jiujitsu. She reached down and undid his belt, but slid off of him and onto her feet at the side of the bed. He obliged, ditching the rest of his clothes, and bounced up to grab her, wrapping her into a hug, and pulling her back down on the bed. She squealed and giggled at the surprise, but went back to happy humming once she felt the entirety of his body pressed against hers, just how she liked it.

He nuzzled her neck, trailing kisses down, between her breasts and across her abdomen, and her old friends the goosebumps erupted across her body. He flicked his tongue just below her belly button, as if she needed any clue as to his motivations, but it did cause her to giggle. She almost stopped him, but he loved taking care of her, and she wasn't so exhausted she couldn't reciprocate.

It was a good decision to make, as he tickled and teased her just the way she liked. He licked her lazily, the sweet salty taste of her sweat from the dancing of the evening just as pleasant as her dew. The sensations were delightful to Barbara, who went from being slowly teased to a greater sense of arousal to happily tickled and amused. Her boy knew how to please her, there was no doubt.

When he eventually made his way to her sex proper, he continued with the long, slow, lazy licks, like he was enjoying some ice cream. He wasn't trying to get her off, just make her feel good, and he kept his focus directly on her to make sure of it. If motivated, he could absolutely wreck her with orgasm, but it wasn't what she wanted, not this time.

She moaned and mewled quietly as she enjoyed his tongue going to work on her, the feeling relaxing. He busied himself for what felt like hours, just tasting her, letting the tiny tuft of red hair she kept above her entrance tickle his nose. When he finally stopped, letting his tongue trail back up her body, she prepared to return the favor, but when she felt the tip of him at her entrance, trying to find its way in, she realized she didn't need to worry about it. He was taking care of her and all she needed to do was enjoy it. She did lean forward and kiss him, letting her own flavor mingle in their mouths, and she was far too interested in the taste of a woman's sex to not consider at least a little experimentation.

Deke kept kissing her as he maneuvered himself into proper position, shifting her legs until he was where he wanted to be. In anticipation, Barbara opened her legs further, welcoming him. When she felt the first of him begin entering her, she held her breath, but was suddenly surprised, and a little disappointed, when he withdrew.

She gave him a pouty look at the teasing, but he just did it again, not even a full inch pushing into her before withdrawing once more. Several more times he did this, driving her slowly mad. Each time, he went just a fraction of an inch deeper, but coming out slower when he did. She was beginning to get frustrated by it, her sense of anticipation being sent all haywire.

Barbara opened her mouth to scold him, to tell her lover to knock it off, when he finally thrust in to his full, the sudden shock causing her eyes to roll and her back to arch with a sharp moan. She was perfection personified in his eyes, another moment he burned into his memory.

He moved within her, keeping his pace slow and relaxed. There was no need for intensity here, no rapid fire orgasms or powerful explosions. Barbara fell into the rhythm, her hands playing across his chest and shoulders as her hips moved to put them into physical sync. Usually so vocal, she found herself making tiny noises, pleasurable little sighs as she drew breath.

Outside, an autumn rain began to fall, tiny cold droplets spattering the windows, a contrast to the warmth within their bedroom. The lovers moved with one another, content to just be a part of a whole. Deke smiled at his beloved, and that's exactly what she was. He would follow her into hell, and beat the devil himself in her name. Barbara returned the smile, unable to suppress a quiet moan at the prince she'd chosen for herself. There was joy in her eyes as they made love, content and comfortable and perfect.

This went on for quite a while, neither of them really trying for climax, though Barbara could feel one beginning to creep up on her. Deke noticed her breathing starting to pick up and her hands making more frequent grasping motions on the sheets. Barbara showed him the tip of her tongue but when her breath hitched in her throat, she had to stop, and just let it take her.

Her back and shoulders came off the bed as she gave a long mewling cry. Her sex gripped his, squeezing him tighter than usual, contracting in orgasm. The sight of her set him off, and together, they experienced the numbness in their limbs and the explosions behind their eyes. She could feel him firing off within her, the pulses from his shaft allowing her to surf the wave of her finish even longer.

Deke collapsed onto the bed with her, just gathering himself. Barbara rolled over and kissed her lover. "You made this birthday wonderful. Thank you." Truth be told, it was nice to be able to function after sex every now and again.

"Hey, it's my job to make you happy." Deke said, rolling onto his side to look at her. "I love you."

"I love you too, and you deserve a raise." Barbara said, kissing him on the nose.

* * *

Outside, a few buildings over, someone was doing a remarkable job of ignoring the cold. His own body burned hot at what he saw within the apartment, but he had no idea why. Jason set the spotting scope aside and got up from his stomach, trying to put down the jealousy that was threatening to overcome him.

He and Babs had been on one date, and they hadn't even connected that well. He never really felt infatuated with her, just a small crush easily brushed aside. That he wanted to bury his fists into her boyfriend's face for daring to touch her, it made no sense. Logically, he should be telling the guy good luck, and warning him not to break her heart, and he should be hoping Babs was happy.

"There's easier ways to relieve some tension." Jason heard in the quite gruff voice of his former mentor. "And I think they deserve some privacy… Jason"

"How'd you find me Bruce?" Jason said, turning to look the Dark Knight directly in the face. He went ahead and removed his red helmet. He'd been figured out, no sense in hiding it now.

"I almost didn't. Your trail went cold in Mumbai, but you slipped up in Hong Kong." Batman said, purposefully turning his back to the window still lit by candlelight.

Hong Kong, a lot of bodies left there, but they'd all deserved it; Triad gangsters with no care as to how they earned their money. Jason had gotten the feeling he'd telegraphed himself. "It's all I've got left Bruce."

"No, it isn't." Batman said. Jason was his greatest failure. He never deserved to die, not by the hands of the Joker, not by a crowbar. "Talia told me what Ra's did for you. You have a second chance."

"I have nothing!" Jason said, shouted really, but he wasn't certain why he was yelling. His temper, hot before the incident, was positively hair trigger now. "I'm just a walking corpse."

"You're still Jason Todd, you're still one of us." Batman said, the shame at what he'd allowed to happen burning him from the inside out. "You can come back with me."

"I can't ever go back Bruce." Jason said, putting his helmet back on. "And don't try to make me."

For a moment, Batman considered doing exactly that. Talia had explained the side effects of the Lazarus Pit, and Jason didn't need to be out on the streets unchecked, not yet, maybe not ever. If he did that though, people could get hurt. Jason was unpredictable before the incident, but now? He was heavily armed with lethal weaponry, and training from not only Batman, but the All-Caste as well. It was a dangerous combination indeed.

"I won't." Batman said finally. "But I'll always be out here."

"Thanks for the warning." Jason snarked, and leapt off the side of the building, using his own version of the famous Bat family cables to swing away. Once he'd cleared several blocks, Batman looked down at a small device, watching a little red blip move further away. He'd placed the tracker before revealing himself, but he didn't expect he'd get much. Still, Jason was worth the effort.


	8. Chapter 8

October 10th  
Gotham City  
1730 EST

A batarang whizzed through the air, the arc of the weapon curving sharply at the last moment, like a major league pitch done just right. The metal weapon sang as it traveled to its destination, before being stopped dead, just floating in midair.

"Ok, hold it there." Barbara said, turning to check out her laptop. She checked the numbers and turned back to her target. "Send it back please."

The Batarang landed in the gloved palm of her lover, Deke. He was totally okay with letting her lob these things at him in what she kept calling the 'bunker', to help him hone his reactions and timing. He was entirely less okiedokie with chucking them back at her, ostensibly for him to learn some coordination and her to keep warmed up with dodging and deflecting.

The metal object lifted a few inches off his hand before Barbara raised a scolding finger. "Ah ah ah, no using powers." She said, trying to remind him that total reliance on his psychokinetic abilities wasn't going to do him or anyone else any favors. He could catch them with his gifts, but returning them had to be done the old fashioned way.

The batarang dropped back down into his palm unceremoniously. Trying to remember everything she'd been teaching him (with the patience of a saint, if he was being honest), Deke whipped the thing back at her. It made no music as it flew through the air, but it flew straight enough that he didn't think he was going to knock her laptop off the stand, again.

It was, all things considered, one of his better throws, Barbara thought as she caught the thing out of the air by hand. "Okay, good." She said encouragingly. "You're showing progress. On your next catch, let it get closer."

"Thanks." Deke said, kneeling down to the floor of the hidden dojo in Gotham's historic district. He scribbled a few things into the notebook that laid next to a copy of his biology textbook, and stood back up.

Already, the batarang they'd been playing catch with was on its way back to him, the trajectory deceptively straight, which made its speed hard to estimate. It was dulled, but that didn't make an accidental impact any less painful. She'd also forbidden him to fortify his body, something he'd been doing as naturally as breathing lately, to make things more interesting.

Once more, it stopped dead, this time entirely too close to his nose for comfort. Barbara smiled and checked her laptop, and then held up a finger, indicating that he wait a moment. She walked across the room to him, and began inspecting the position of the training weapon, before sprouting a huge, beautiful grin.

"One eighth of an inch." She proclaimed proudly, seeing the shocked and frightened look on the face of her boy. "Now that I know you can do it though…" She trailed off, knowing he was well aware what she wanted from him.

"Yeah yeah, consistency." He muttered, taking the thing out of the air. Before she could walk back to her position, he wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her.

She kissed back and winked at him. She had a few secrets she'd planned on sharing with him once they were finished with their practice here. "Send it back." She instructed once she'd reclaimed her place.

Once more, Deke snapped his wrist out, sending the metal object flying towards his perfect girl. He even remembered to follow through with the throw, and put his whole body into motion as part of it. When she made absolutely no move to dodge or counter, he figured she'd read where it would hit, and didn't need to bother moving, but then again, that would have put a look of disappointment on her face. She just looked expectant instead.

In the instant the batarang covered the distance between the two lovers, Deke was forced to make a judgement call. It was probably going to hit her, but she might be? No? Shit! He caught the thing, arresting its momentum in front of her solar plexus.

Barbara looked down, plucked the thing out of the air, and set it on the stand with her laptop. "Snap judgement Cowboy, the job requires it." She said, and set her laptop to compile the data it was gathering. The batarang had a very accurate ultrasonic sensor built in, which tied into the room's sensors, giving Barbara some incredible data to use as training and encouragement.

"You were gonna let that hit you?" Deke said, his adrenalin still releasing into his system. Only using the one power instead of running like he usually did meant his body was working off of pure instinct, instead of the tight control he preferred to keep. He was scared, and upset, and it showed.

"No, because I knew it wouldn't hit me." Barbara said soothingly, walking to her boy and putting her hands on his arms to calm him. "I knew it wouldn't because I trust you and I believe in you." She added, looking up at him, letting her ocean blue eyes meet his grass green ones.

"I'm glad _you_ do." Deke said, rubbing the back of his neck and trying to collect himself. "I don't so much."

Barbara kissed her boy. His bouts of insecurity were growing further and further apart. "You're getting better babe." She said to him, and led him to a small futon against the wall. She sat him down and joined him, handing him a bottle of water.

"Thanks." He said, popping the lid off and taking a drink. She had something cooking behind her eyes, it wasn't hard to miss on her. Even without his telepathic abilities, he could tell. "So, what's got your gears turning?"

"I'll assume you didn't use your powers to figure that out," Barbara said, and scooted around to put her back against one of the arms of the futon, so that she could look at her boy more fully. All she could do was trust that when she'd asked him to only use his powers as instructed, that that's what he did. His body language had indicated he'd acquiesced, but she really was going on faith.

"When you're dreaming something up babe, they know about it in Metropolis." Deke said, turning around as well to face her, though he had to draw his knees up to do it and still give her room. "So, what is it?"

"A couple of things, my lovely. All of it's good, but one of them might require some discussion. Do you want me to save it for last?" Barbara said, brushing an errant strand of hair out of her face.

"Yeah, sounds good. Start hittin' me." Deke said, taking another swig of water.

"Okay, so remember that charity ball? It's the first Saturday of December. Batman sees to it that we're all there for it, and since I'm bringing you to it, I wanted to give you a heads up. It's been threatened a time or two before, but I think even the Joker knows better than to try anything. I wanted to be sure you'd be my plus one?" She asked, her voice pitching up so sweetly. That Barbara could go from completely confident, ass kicking vigilante to bashful schoolgirl was something she reserved for her boy, and he loved it so damn much.

"I'll get my tux pressed and stuff before then." Deke said to his love.

"I'll get that handled." Barbara said, not telling him that she would be taking it to Alfred, at Bruce's request. "Next thing, I might know a certain something about the Thomas Wayne scholarship recipient."

Deke's heart leapt into his throat as her singsong words. The Thomas Wayne scholarship meant not only did he get a full ride, but he would get expanded living expenses and other allowances, ensuring he didn't need to work part time to support himself, so that he could dedicate himself to his studies. It was a huge deal, and hotly contested for. "You're serious?"

"Very." Barbara said. "We were poking through an image of the school's database in class the other day in my cybersecurity class, trying to find weak points, and I was able to get into the real database. I had to check." She said, not telling him she'd verified it straight from the source's mouth. He'd apparently been waiting on someone in the life to show an interest in becoming a physician.

"Yep, that means your residency is going to be distributed throughout your time in school, because you're set up working a clinic." Barbara told her boy. Bruce wouldn't have just handed it over though, because he had powers. There were plenty of students in the running for it, and Deke still had to earn it. One day she hoped to be able to tell him that, but it wasn't looking good any time soon.

Deke was about to wet himself in excitement. He was about to see eleven years of school get reduced to six. It of course hinged on him actually completing the medical classes, but this news was nothing if not motivating. "What's left?" He asked, trying to get himself back into order. His girl was nothing if not able to get him in circles.

"Well, here's what requires some discussion, but can I say what I have to say first?" Barbara asked. She'd been working on this speech for a week now, and wanted to get it out. When her boy nodded and leaned in, she continued. "So, we've been dating a while now, and it's really good. I'm happy, and I'm comfortable, and I trust you, and I'm pretty sure you're all those things too. After our freshman year, we're allowed to live off campus too, and,"

She went quite bashful for a moment, coloring pink in her cheeks. "And I thought, if you were comfortable with the idea, maybe you and I could look into getting an apartment together. I mean, if you're not cool with it, that's okay and please don't think I'm going to just leave you or something if you do say no, it's just, we've cohabitated a lot actually already and we're pretty compatible, especially since we know each other's super-secret identities, and that's me, I'm done now." Barbara said, the last few sentences coming faster and faster, forcing her to take a breath.

Deke sat there quietly a moment, but he smiled at her while he thought. She'd sleep better, and really, he would too. Man code demanded he not admit he slept better with her in the bed, but it was the truth. They'd probably eat a lot better too, the both of them subsisting lately on take out and chicken whizzies. He couldn't deny sex would be less complicated to have either. It did mean having to share a relatively small space with her, and while it seemed nice, she deserved her own considerations.

Space, time, and all of a sudden when he compared her basic needs in an environment, she was another reason why women were an unfathomable mystery. Hawking wrote a book about space and time which basically said he was making an educated guess at them, and here Deke realized he was having to apply the most advanced physics known to humanity to consideration for living with her.

"You're shutting the world out." Barbara said, watching the mind behind his eyes work things out. For all he said about being able to see the way people thought, she could get an idea of it by just asking him an important question and watching him mull it over. Her boy played dense on purpose, calling it 'country dumb', and while she was legitimately smarter than he was, she couldn't discount him either. There was a functioning brain inside that pretty head, and it was working overtime.

"You'd know." Deke said with a wink and a snicker. Barbara showed him the tip of her tongue and bounced herself up onto her knees, only to slink down against him. She stole a good hug, but began tickling him.

"What I want to know is, if you want to move in with me this April?" She said as she tickled. "You're trying to reinvent the wheel, and yes, I know all about that too. What's your heart tell you?"

Deke giggled, a decidedly not tough noise escaping him. The girl was good at zeroing in on him. He managed to fend her off for a moment so he could catch his breath, and used the time to formulate his thoughts into words. "I want to."

"But?" Barbara asked. She didn't look upset, or disappointed, more curious, but by her own words, she was in fact, an inquisitive girl.

"No, no but. I want to. We'll play hell figuring each other out for a couple months I think, but I think we can do this no problem once we get a rhythm." Deke said, pulling his love to his chest and hugging her. One could never discount the value of a good hug.

Inside, Barbara was pleased. She'd been more nervous about this than she had expected to be. She let herself get wrapped up in his embrace and relaxed there for a while, but she hadn't argued Bruce into using the bunker for as long as she had to just chill on a futon. "Hey, you wanna play a game with me?"

"Sure." Deke said, letting her up from his chest. "What kind of game?"

"It's a fun one." She said mysteriously, and took his hand, pulling him off the futon and towards the large blue mat to one side of the room. "We play to falls. You put me on my ass and you win."

"How do you win?" Deke asked, settling into the deceptively casual Lua stance he'd been taught.

"I win by learning more about Lua without bugging Koa all day." Barbara said with a shrug. She was going to let him open, but he gave his chest a two handed slap and beckoned with his hands, giving her the lead.

In short, it wasn't pretty. Deke felt himself hitting the mat in all manner of new and exciting ways. Sweeps, trips, traps, locks and other more bizarre techniques he didn't quite fathom, were all used to acquaint him quite intimately with the blue gym mat over the course of an hour. Each time, he got back up to his feet. She wasn't trying to hurt him by any means, and she never teased or taunted, but it was becoming clear there was no challenge for her.

That just wouldn't do. Deke, back on his feet after a hip toss, shook his head clear, and offered her another shot at taking the initiative. Barbara whipped a high kick to his head, telegraphing the thing a mile away, the purpose of which was to force him to duck it so he'd eat the back pivot that would follow.

He just leaned out of the way of the high kick and sidestepped the back pivot which followed, his steps putting him where he wanted to be. A simple shove against her ankle took her directly off balance and straight to the mat.

Barbara, in an attempt to right herself, wound up falling unceremoniously on her bottom. "You cheated." She said, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"When it comes to my enemies, I should always cheat. They have no compunctions about it, so why should I?" Deke said to his beloved, offering her a hand up from the mat. She took it, but the moment she did, he dropped his weight, bringing him into a wide squat, which distributed his weight and dropped his center of balance too much for her to use the prone throw she was planning.

"The first thing I ever taught you." Barbara said, this time rising without pretense. He came up with her and nodded.

"I never forgot." He said. "Still want to move in with me?"

"Hell yes Cowboy. You listen." Barbara said as they leaned against the wall, separated by a rack of various martial arts weapons. "Wanna go again?"

"Yep." Deke said, strolling back to the mat.


	9. Chapter 9

October 12th  
Gotham City  
1620 EST

There was a knock at Barbara's dorm room door. She checked her phone to see if anyone had mentioned coming over, and when no such message was there, she got up to answer the door. She was surprised to see her boyfriend standing there, an early snow still dusting his hair. He was supposed to be in his sign language class, not running across campus.

"Well don't just stand there silly." Barbara said sweetly, pulling him inside her room. He had a long tubular package in his hands, and he wasn't wearing a coat. "Didn't you have class?" she asked once he'd kicked his shoes off.

"Nope, the teacher was sick so he canceled class. Hey Bette!" Deke said, greeting Barbara's roommate once he saw that she was in the room as well, and currently seeming buried in her homework. She waved back at him, and refocused on her efforts.

"Where's your coat?" Barbara asked, irked he'd leave it behind in this weather. The male and female dorms were quite literally across campus from one another. "It's cold out there."

"Back in my room. When I saw this was finished, I couldn't wait to bring it over." He said, handing her the tube package. "This is your other birthday present, sorry it took so long to get here."

"It's okay," Barbara said as she opened the container. "You didn't have to get me… oh wow." Was all she was capable of saying once she unrolled the contents.

It was a poster, depicting a red haired woman in a wispy gothic style dress and silver wire jewlery, wielding a wickedly jagged curved sword, while a leather robed warrior stood next to her. Both of them were facing down a shadowy looking dragon atop a dark mountaintop, while a full moon shone over them. "This is beautiful." Barbara managed to say.

The art style was very modern comic book, with clean lines and rich shading, but it was plainly clear she was looking at the impromptu story she'd told, purely as naughty talk, brought to life. "The Princess of the Kingdom of Night, and her Prince, the Warrior Poet." She said, already looking for a way to clear space on the wall to make room for it. She had also already decided to get a frame first thing tomorrow.

"Yep, this is what I talked Maddy into going on a date with an artist for. She says you're welcome, by the way. I sent her a picture of it when I got it." Deke said, sitting on the floor with his back against Barbara's bed.

"Hey Bette, I was gonna take Babs out for some cocoa, you wanna come with us?" He asked her, watching her reaction. Again, another disinterested wave.

"I'll get my shoes and a coat." Barbara said, in an I-know-something-you-don't kind of tone. She tossed them on quickly and pulled her boy out of her dorm room, leaving a very confused look on his face.

"She's going through a pretty ugly breakup." Barbara said as they walked down the hall. "Tomorrow morning it's going to hit her and she'll be bawling her eyes out, but right now she's still processing it."

"Does ol' boy need his ass whipped?" Deke asked, reflexively loyal to Bette out of her friendship to Barbara. That she'd been nothing but sweet and welcoming to him since moment one didn't hurt at all.

Now that would be something to watch, Barbara thought, but she thought her boy might re-think things if he knew who the boy was. "No, he wasn't cruel about it." She said, which was true, even though she was still considering taking Dick to task for his timing in ending things with Bette.

"Okay, we still oughta bring her some cocoa." Deke said as they strolled through the halls of the female dorms. Cocoa was a powerful medicine after all.

"Well yeah." Barbara said. She slipped her hand into her boy's, and shook her head at his utter lack of coat. Early snows in Gotham made for vicious winters, and vicious winters made for perfect opportunities for the truly dangerous to come out and play. Barbara hated the early snows.

Wow, that got bleak quick. Barbara leaned up and stole a kiss of her boy's cheek and snuggled into him as they walked. He flashed a warm smile at her and kept her close as they headed towards the small coffee joint right next to campus. "I love you Cowboy." Barbara said out of nowhere.

"I love you too darlin." He said back. He liked hearing it as much as she did.

October 12th  
Undisclosed Location  
2045 Zulu

"So, tell us why we're here." A man said, as he sat down at a conference table. He was middle aged, but still looked quite strong, with a graying high and tight and the sleeves of his nice suit stretched tight over his arms.

"We've got a better handle on Eleven sir." Keisha said, and glanced over to Tom, who wasn't chain smoking at the moment. It was a surprise.

"Uh, yessir. Doctor Morris is right. We've got verifiable information that he's in Gotham City at this moment, and we're pretty sure we can track him anywhere in the city if he has to get there in a hurry."

This man, sent from the Company, had never introduced himself. He'd just shown up after Keisha's last report made the rounds with the shareholders, and if Tom was being honest, he didn't like the guy. He looked too much like some kind of corporate goon, and referred to himself in the plural, which was just creepy.

"Show us." The man in the suit said, sitting there waiting patiently. He had no emotion on his face whatsoever. When Keisha passed him a tablet, the man just looked at it blankly until she explained the notations used on the satellite overlay. Once he had a grasp on the thing, he began studying the map in much more detail.

"Give us a timeline." He asked, his voice sounding hollow, almost dead.

"The data starts out scattershot. We had to filter a lot of false hits before we could narrow down on Eleven." Keisha said, gesturing to Tom. He remote accessed the tablet and popped the information up for the guy.

"What's the accuracy on your data?" The man asked, absently scratching the backs of his hands.

"Thirteen percent margin of error." Tom replied.

"That's actionable." The man said. "You've both done excellent work here. You should both be proud." It was supposed to be praise, but in that hollow tone, it sounded scarier than it did encouraging.

He got up and left, taking the tablet with him, without another word. Once he'd cleared the room, Tom lit a cigarette, drawing on it nervously. This time, Keisha didn't even give him a cross look. She was nervous enough she nearly asked him for one.

"That guy's creepy as hell." she muttered, spinning in her chair at the conference table. "And I've got a bad feeling now."

"Regretting that whole 'terminate the experiment' attitude now?" Tom asked.

"Yeah. Are they that powerful?" Keisha asked her colleague. She was a biologist, not a behaviorist. She understood the capacity the different subjects possessed, their limits and their strengths, but those were just numbers. If Superman were lazy, would he still be Superman, or just another man?

"Yes." Tom said, his tone unusually somber. "Eleven is scary enough by himself. Ten, if she felt the need to get ugly… well, the League probably can't stop her before the point of no return."

He took another drag off his cigarette, and gestured at his coworker. "And if I recall correctly, you wanted to try and breed them?"

"Could you imagine what we'd get if even one offspring developed both sets of abilities?" Keisha said, her underlying excitement at the whole thing betraying her.

"Yeah, we'd have God, or the Devil." Tom said with a frown. "Looks like we'll never know though."

"What makes you say that?" Keisha asked, defending her goals.

"Eleven's not going to just breed with someone out of the blue. His profile is pretty clear on that. We can't just toss him and Ten into a room and tell them to get cracking on making babies." Tom said, stubbing his cigarette out.

"Who says they have to engage in intercourse?" Keisha said pointedly. "There's such a thing as artificial insemination, as well as methods to gather the necessary genetic material."

"Yeah, I tell you what, the first time you try sticking a glorified turkey baster into Ten's hoohah, tell me how it goes for you." Tom said with a bit of snark. These were human beings this company was messing with. Well, ostensibly still human beings. "Or, even better, how about you ask Eleven for a 'donation'? I bet he'll be perfectly accommodating."

"You don't have to get shitty about it Tom." Keisha said, though, when put into plain language, the logistics to achieve her goal did seem out of reach for their budget. Balancing her humanity with her drive for scientific advancement wasn't always easy.

"Sorry, I just," he muttered, lighting another cigarette. "We're playing God and I'm kind of getting tired of it. The experiment was proof of concept, we know our techniques work, why not refine that?"

"Because the shareholders don't want culpability if this blows up in our face." Keisha said, walking over to her colleague. She waved the cloud of smoke surrounding him away, and took a chair closer to him. "But I think it's going to anyway. It's one thing to spout the company rhetoric, but it's another to believe it."

Tom stubbed his cigarette out of courtesy. "We need to do something then, and we need to do it fast."

Keisha nodded. "We can track Eleven just as easy as they can, and if they're actually going to try and go after him, that means they need a tac team. If we leave now…"

"We can beat the rush." Tom said. His heart was thundering in his chest, it was suddenly very exciting, being the people to put an end to an evil corporate experiment. "I drive a hybrid, it gets great mileage."

"I've got a rental truck while my car's in the shop." Keisha said. Tom stood up when she did, and the two of them casually exited the conference room to close up shop for the day. They had to get to Gotham quick.

Inside a security room, a guard snored while a comic book lay open across his chest. If he'd been awake, the two scientists never would have cleared the facility. Because he'd stayed up all night playing video games, the two of them had the head start they needed. It wouldn't be a good day for that guard once word got out and his footage was reviewed though. It wouldn't be a good day at all.

October 12th  
Gotham City  
1700 EST

"So, how about this? Me, and you, and a quiet little beach house weekend after next? Well, okay, not so much a beach house, but you catch my drift." Deke asked of his beloved. She was bringing her mug of cocoa to her lips, the steam curling into little wisps before her, and she looked like she belonged on an advertisement in a magazine.

"You're on monitor duty that weekend? I thought it was this one." Barbara said. She could clearly remember the schedule the team had worked out. It had favored Godiva since she actually kept residence in their base, so he was only there for monitor duty one weekend a month while school was in session, and that weekend hadn't come up yet.

"It was." Deke said, taking a sip of his own cocoa and deeming it immediately amazing. This stuff was most certainly not out of a packet. "But Maddy called me this morning and said she wanted to take a couple of personal days, so I'm pulling double duty this weekend and next."

Barbara ran her schedule through her head. She was avoiding extracurricular activities at school for now, since Kaldur still hadn't gotten back in touch with the team. It left Dick pulled in too many directions, which was exactly why he'd broken things off with Bette, so he wasn't totally in the game in Gotham. Tim was doing a hell of a job though, and Bruce was on his own time from the League barring an incident big enough that it meant everyone was dropping everything.

"I can do that Saturday, but after that, I'm staying with dad for the rest of that week." Barbara said, looking very much forward to the time. "Do you still want to go to the football game Friday?"

"Yeah, that sounds awesome. I don't have to be there until Saturday morning. Maddy's taking off bright and early, though I think for her, that means closer to noon."

"Speak for yourself there Captain Nap." Barbara said, showing her boy the tip of her tongue. "I seem to recall I had to call you Tuesday morning to wake you up."

"Okay, so yeah, but Monday night I was kind of busy if you remember. I had this girl over, see?" Deke said, taking another sip of his cocoa.

"Oh really?" Barbara said, setting her cup down. "You had a woman in your room? Let me guess, you were just trying to be the chivalrous hero, and she had no other way to repay you for your kindness?" She even added the mocking fanning motion and overacted facial expressions.

"Well, yeah, pretty much." Deke said to his girl with a matter-of-fact look on his face. "I mean, you should've seen her though, she was hot." He even emphasized this statement by holding cupped hands in front of his chest in mimic of large breasts.

"Mine aren't _that_ big." Barbara said with a blush.

"Perspective babe. They were right in my face." Deke countered.

"Cowboy, at what moment did I have my breasts smashed into your face on Monday night? The way I remember it, the girls across the hall were making a Godawful racket and Bette had taken off with my noise canceling headphones, so I snuck into your room to do homework, which, is the exact same thing you were doing." Barbara countered. Thinking back on it, they _had_ missed a chance for some intimacy after their homework was finished, but instead had taken a nap which turned into sleeping all night. Which of them would have been more beneficial was still up in the air.

"When you climbed over me to get to bed." Deke said with a shrug.

"That's hardly what I'd call right in your face." Barbara said tartly, one delicate eyebrow rising.

"I'll take a win when I can." Deke said, and noticed the rather amused expression on Barbara's face. She took a napkin and daubed at his nose, which had apparently developed a sprout of cream from his cocoa.

She just shook her head at her boy. "You uh, you wanna claim a bigger win tonight?" She asked him, trying to get serious again.

"Why Miss Gordon, are you trying to seduce me?" he drawled, trying to put on his best smooth face.

"No Mr. O'Connelly, I'm not trying to seduce you. I'm succeeding at it." Barbara said, and stood up from the table. They'd get one to go for Bette, and then, she figured, they'd see where the evening took them.


	10. Chapter 10

October 15th  
Gotham City  
1900 EST

The Gotham University stadium was full to capacity that night. They were playing Metropolis, and the crowds were rabid. Scores of people had shown up, with the two schools less than a hundred miles apart. This was the first time Gotham had hosted the game in several years, and it looked like Metropolis might not keep their winning streak up.

Halfway up on the seventy five yard line, under a heavy blanket, were two lovebirds, just waiting on the game to start. "It feels weird." Deke said to his girl. "I feel like I'm cheating."

"If _that_ makes you feel like you're cheating, I've got nothing to worry about." Barbara said, amazed it had been that much of a struggle to get him into the sweatshirt of the college he was currently attending. She'd compromised for basketball games, but that was pulling teeth.

"Is Bette okay?" Deke asked, worried about her roommate. She'd not taken being broken up with well at all.

"Yeah, she's fine. We're past the ice cream and Supernatural marathon, so she's on the upswing. Speaking of which, what are doing for Halloween?" Barbara asked. She had a plan.

"From everything I've heard, Halloween in Gotham isn't the safest night out. I heard Blue and Cassie were showing up to help out." Deke said.

"Well yeah, sorry, I meant, what are you doing for the campus Halloween party?" It was a massive tradition at Gotham U, one that almost every sorority and fraternity took more seriously than Batman took the mission.

"I hadn't actually figured that out yet." Deke said with a shrug. He pulled his girl closer to him, which was a plain invitation to snuggle into her boy, and she took it.

"So, there's this guy in my math class, really nice guy, and he and I were talking after class, and he mentioned something he wanted to do for the party, but he didn't have enough friends to pull it off, so, I might have said I'd see if you were interested in doing an easy group costume thing." Barbara said.

"Sure, I'm game." Deke said. "What'm I doing for it then?"

"Well, Jack is looking to dress as Dean, and you're not far off from looking like Sam. I'd be dressed as Charlie." Barbara said. She knew she had everything she needed in her closet, and she was reasonably certain her boy had the right shirt somewhere. If not, they weren't expensive.

"I guess I need to watch that show." Deke said, his familiarity only vague at best.

"Babe, I gave you my Netflix info for a reason." Barbara said, poking him in the stomach. "I watch it on my phone when it's quiet on my patrol nights."

"Speaking of, how'd last night go?" Deke asked, opening a very large thermos and offering it to her.

Barbara carefully took a sip of the hot cider she'd brought, and replaced the lid. "It could have gone better if I'm being honest. Since Penguin made the move to go legit, it's getting harder and harder to pin anything on him. He's not going to be fencing stolen luxury cars any time soon though, so it wasn't a total wash."

"I got a message from my boss," Deke said, taking a sip of cider as well. "He asked me and Aasha to help out here too on Halloween. I hope he cleared it with your boss."

Barbara nodded. "Yeah, he seems to think it's going to be a lot worse than usual this year. He doesn't have enough evidence to say for sure, but something's biting at him. You know everyone but the locals are just going to be doing vandalism control, right?"

"I figured, I don't mind though, it's not like I'd be doing anything else." Deke said with a shrug. "Oh hey, here we go." He added, pointing to the field where the game was set to begin.

* * *

"What makes you think Eleven will be here?" Keisha asked Tom as they milled their way through the crowd.

"Every Gotham U student is here. Just look for someone who doesn't seem to be handling the crowd well, and keep thinking our script." Tom said. They'd stopped outside of Newark for a change of clothes, and were currently trying to look like alumnus, though not so well.

"Offsides!" Keisha yelled out several moments later, not pleased with what she perceived to be a lack of officiating. Tom shook his head at her, and just kept up the pretense of looking for seats.

While he did, he sang out in his thoughts, attempting to think loudly, though he had no way of knowing if he was. [I know you're here, and you may be in serious trouble. You can hear thoughts and you're not sure how. I have answers and a warning.]

Keisha was supposed to be doing the same, but the woman suffered from the attention span of a hummingbird. How she got her PhD was a mystery to Tom, but the truth was, she knew her stuff when it came to biology.

* * *

"Cowboy, are you okay?" Barbara asked a little before halftime. He'd gotten this paranoid look on his face, his eyes darting across the people in attendance at what promised to be Gotham's first win against Metropolis in quite some time.

"Something's bugging me." Deke said with a frown. He couldn't put his finger on it exactly, but something had him on edge. He pulled Barbara closer to him, all but sitting her on his lap, and just held tight to her. She let him, becoming his safe port in the storm, and to help him more, nuzzled into him and stole a kiss. She knew how much he loved it.

"You sure it's not just the Metropolis fans feeling spanked over there?" She asked, trying to get his focus on something else. "Maybe all that disappointment is getting loud."

Deke shook his head. "No, well, maybe that too."

"You'd been doing a lot better with crowds, but I might have pushed you too hard. Do you want to leave?" Barbara asked. She didn't want him to feel obligated being somewhere he felt uncomfortable.

"It's not the crowd, I've got them filtered enough to be alright. It's more like, it feels like there's someone staring at me." He squeezed Barbara's leg gently and tried running his hand up her thigh, but the strange nervous energy surrounding him prevented him from enjoying it.

"Okay, if you want to leave, I won't be upset." Barbara told him reassuringly, nuzzling into his neck again.

* * *

"Do you think they're on the Metropolis side?" Tom asked, feeling like maybe they'd picked the wrong time and place to search for Eleven.

"I can assure you, they're not." Keisha said, handing her colleague, and now partner-in-not-crime a fountain drink and a hot dog. Neither of them had eaten since bailing on the lab, and it was beginning to become problematic, so she nipped that problem in the bud at the concession stand.

"I didn't do sports in college." Tom said with a shrug, desperately wanting a cigarette but unable to have one in the stadium. His hands were beginning to jitter, and he was having a hard time biting back his attitude. He _really_ needed to quit.

"I dated an athlete once." Keisha said. "Of course, I married him, so there's that."

"Does he know you're doing this? If he gets worried and calls the lab, we might be blown." Tom mentioned, wandering through the stands and munching on his hot dog, giving himself a headache at trying to concentrate on his psychic message in a bottle.

"Anthony thinks I'm at a conference here in Gotham." Keisha said, straining her eyes to look for people out of place. "Hey, what about those two?" she said, gesturing towards a couple under a blanket.

Tom shook his head. "How do I put this politely? He's uhm, he's getting a handy." He said. The look on the man's face was clear, as was the bored expression on the girl's face.

"Ew," Keisha said with a frown. "Why didn't we get pictures of the subjects anyway?"

"Faces humanize them." Tom said after a minute, sitting down to take a break. "Makes it harder to do what we had to do."

Keisha sat down next to him, almost on top of another couple. "Makes it harder now too." She grumbled. "Excuse us, sorry." She said to the pretty redheaded girl in glasses.

The boy she was with looked miserable, like he had a migraine. It was bad enough that the girl he was with, had to open their thermos and give him a drink from it. Keisha thought for a moment, and nudged Tom. He glanced over, and immediately, the realization dawned on him. "Hey buddy, you okay?"

The guy, a dishwater blonde with long hair, nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks for askin'." He said, wiping his drink from his chin.

Taking a risk, Keisha piped up. "You're not local, where are you from?"

"Well, my girlfriend _is_ local, but I'm from Kentucky." The guy said. His headache was slowly abating on him, but the nervous energy was building up worse.

"What's here that's not in Lexington?" Keisha asked, but she was sitting next to the answer and she knew it.

"I am." The pretty redhead said with a lovely smile. Keisha thought she was adorable, and the lack of arrogance in her response was refreshing. She didn't seem like some sorority girl who thought her booty was God's gift.

That confirmed it. She gave Tom a nod, and the two of them relaxed, certain they'd found who they were looking for.

"Hey," Tom asked a little later. "You two wouldn't want to make a little extra money, would you?"

The redhead immediately got a skeptical look. It was clear she was worried they were being propositioned by a couple of swingers. The boy, who _had_ to be Subject Eleven, just got a curious expression. "How?" He asked simply.

"My wife and I," Tom said, taking Keisha's hand, hoping she'd just go along with it, and hoping Eleven didn't have any lingering country prejudice at a mixed race couple. "We're not from Gotham either, and we're looking for a decent hotel that's not going to break us. If you can show us one nearby, there's a fifty in it for you."

There! That's what he wanted. Eleven took a glance at him full on, almost sizing him up. Tom genuinely hoped that wasn't what was happening. Eleven was apparently a beast of a human being, and Tom, he was not. [You're in danger, you and your girl. It's not impending, but it's coming, and we're here to help.]

Barbara felt Deke's fingertips dig into her thigh. He relaxed them quickly enough, but it was clear he was startled by something. She was worried these two were like some kind of internet porn company, going to offer them money to film them having sex or something. Apparently, that's what her boy thought too. She recognized the telltale look of him focusing on someone's thoughts.

"Yeah, I mean, I'm okay with it, if Yvonne here is." Deke said, making up an alias on the spot for Barbara. That immediately cued her.

"Oh yeah, that'd be fine sweetie." Barbara said, putting it on a little. If he wasn't going to refer to her by name, he had a reason. "My Will is horrible for introductions by the way, sorry."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I'm Will, this is Yvonne." Deke said to the couple sitting next to them. He wasn't entirely certain what they knew about him, but they knew enough to know he could read minds, and they didn't have any other obvious motivations.

"I'm Tom, this is Keisha." Tom said, intentionally being honest. Eleven likely knew a lie the moment it was told to him, so honesty seemed the best policy. "Some game, huh?"

"The halftime show was great. I love dueling drumlines." Barbara said, reaching under the blanket to grab their thermos. She also palmed something from beneath her sweatshirt, and when she opened the lid, she expertly slipped that into the drink.

"Cider? It's homemade, not from a packet." She said, handing the thing over. Tom took a drink, but Keisha refused it politely. Not that it mattered, only one of them needed to ingest the nanotrackers.

They bantered idly throughout the rest of the game, which turned into a very tight win for Gotham. The entire time, there was thick tension between the two couples. Deke telepathically informed Barbara what he'd seen and heard from the guy named Tom, which only made Barbara more on-edge. She almost texted Dick, but held off until she knew they needed help. Even if she'd said things didn't warrant him showing up, he would absolutely show up.

At the conclusion, the four of them left the stadium, just another pair of couples leaving the game. They'd agreed to meet at the Falafel House a few blocks away, but Barbara wanted to be a little better prepared, and more properly dressed. She didn't like sending her boy in alone, but she had faith in him, and if that failed, she was well certain he'd leave an easy to follow trail of destruction.

The two scientists were sitting on one side of the booth when Deke walked into the small Israeli diner. He'd chosen this place after Babs had once told him the owner was rumored to belong to the Mossad back in the eighties. If trouble was going down, having someone with a vested interest in the location didn't hurt.

"You're alone." Tom said, gesturing towards the empty booth seat, welcoming Deke to join them. The boy, couldn't be twenty yet, seemed tense but not nervous. It gave both he and Keisha a moment to pause. If Eleven had spent enough time developing his powers, one wrong word could spell their quick end.

"I wanted to keep my girlfriend out of this." Deke said, sitting down across from them. "It's not something she needs to hear."

[I'm glad you don't act like that for real.] Barbara said across their telepathic link. She was perched on top of the Falafel House, her cold weather cape wrapped around her for warmth. She'd fed a borescope camera through the ventilation system and was recording the entire exchange.

"Look," Tom said, trying to be disarming. They were here to help, but it didn't take a PhD in psychology to know that their pitch and approach weren't trustworthy. "You've got questions, big ones I'm sure. This flash drive will answer a lot of them."

Tom slid the small thumb drive across the table. Deke pocketed the thing without another glance, and returned his stare to the two scientists. Barbara had coached him on how to handle the situation. Keep neutral and let them volunteer information.

"But that doesn't cover why we're here now." Keisha said, taking over for Tom. It was clear she was distressed, like she didn't want to admit what she was about to. "You, and many more, were experiments, the flash drive will explain that, but the people financing the experiments are trying to cut ties and distance themselves from it. A team of people are working out how to track you down using the same technique we used, and once they've got you, it's hard telling what they'll try and do."

Deke nodded, still keeping his poker face. Babs was in his head, offering kind, reassuring words, helping him keep calm. She could feel the emotions in her boy boiling up, not so much angry, but definitely hurt. He'd been looking for someone to blame for his mother's accidental death, and he was looking at two candidates.

"We found you with the turbulence you generate when you fly, it's quite unique." Tom said, hoping to stroke Eleven's ego. "The people looking for you know you're a student here, but our last picture of you was taken in 2007, so they'll have trouble locating you if you keep yourself grounded."

"So, that's it?" Deke said, finally ending his silence.

"Yeah," Tom said. "That's it. We can't find any of the others, so it's up to you, if you're interested. Odds are good we're never going to see you again, so, good luck. Before we go though, you were just Subject Eleven to us. If this all works out, make a real name for yourself, okay?"

"Sure." Deke said. "Tell me why you showed up."

Tom fielded that one. "That team, coming to get you, if they find you, it's going to go badly for them. And then it's going to avalanche. We couldn't not say something."

[That team they keep talking about, I think they're here.] Deke heard in his head. Barbara's tone was calm, but it was always calm when things got heated. [Stealth chopper's inbound. Maybe a minute out.]

"Give me your phones." Deke said, suddenly as far as Tom and Keisha were aware. "Now!"

The two scientists dropped their phones on the table. In an instant, they were slammed together and crushed into a tiny ball. "Get to safety." Deke said, already heading to the door.


	11. Chapter 11

October 15th  
Gotham City  
2347 EST

Deke was out the door and around the side of the building as quickly as he was able to move. Barbara had stashed his long rider, hat, and glasses beside the restaurant's dumpster for him, and he wasted no time tossing them on. He flicked the power to his glasses on, and the world immediately grew brighter. He was going to owe Fractal big for the tech.

[Over the campus, two hundred feet and dropping.] Barbara called out, staying tight against the roof mounted hvac. Between the heat it was outputting, and the thermal properties of her uniform, she was near invisible on the building. [Be careful.] She added.

[Always.] Deke replied, launching himself into the air. Just in the distance, he could see the helicopter, a sleek black thing, which was giving off hardly any sound at all. It had weapon pods on the sides as well, and none of them looked friendly.

Barbara hesitated for only a moment before depressing a small switch on her belt, activating the signal beacon which would alert the rest of the Bats, and draw them down on her location. For a moment, the chopper seemed to hold position, but then it erupted, a series of ropes being tossed out. She saw, in the dark, her boy's hand come up to make some gesture, but the chopper turned just as the last of the soldiers dropped, and hell broke loose from the side.

What was going to be a simple series of grasps had to become a shield in short order. Deke could hear the whine of the minigun before it fired, and reflexively defended himself. Hundreds of rounds peppered the shield, striking it and having their inertia drained off before falling to the ground. Not their very smartest move, he could tank them until they ran out of ammo, and still be good to handle the team.

Barbara realized the truth of the situation though. He wasn't tanking, he was being tanked. She fired off a line, and let the high speed winch yank her off the roof of the Falafel House and into the sky. A few more lines later, and she was able to get into a position to land one of the magnetic grapplers on the bottom of the chopper, which she used to swing into the aircraft, using the side exits as her entrance.

The man operating the multi-barreled machine gun turned and looked the moment she spoke up. "Not cool guys. Not cool at all." She said, and rocked the guy with a pair of punches, followed by a Thai clinch and a few knees to his face. Startled, the pilot tried to shake her out by maneuvering, but she was prepared for it, grasping one of the safety lines. She took a deep breath and unceremoniously (one might almost say rudely) dropped a gas pellet into the pilot's lap.

The gas, a powerful anesthetic Batman had developed, dropped both the pilot and copilot quickly. Still holding her breath, Barbara had to pull both men from their seats and take control of the vehicle before it went out of control. On a whim, she grabbed the pilot's headset, but she didn't like what she heard.

[There's three more of these coming in.] Deke heard as he tried desperately to fend off the sheer amount of ammunition this tac team was unloading into him. He wanted nothing more than to make grand sweeping motions, batting these people away, but in this urban environment, that was only going to lead to fatalities.

[I don't think they're a capture squad.] Deke replied, using his powers to absorb the impacts of the bullets, and to try and get his timing. Babs had taken the big machine gun off of him, which was a godsend, but there were enough guys firing that he couldn't relax much.

There was a moment of elation; he could feel it over the calm of the men below. Deke dropped his levitation the moment he felt it, plummeting several feet down in an instant, the moment a loud report met his hears, and the side of a building lost a massive chunk. He needed to escape and evade, and let his partner handle the sniper.

Deke just dropped the rest of the way down, into the midst of the team, and he lamented not doing it sooner. They wouldn't all fire when he was surrounded, out of caution for their teammates. Now, he could cut loose a little.

One pinpoint of energy appeared not far from a group of three, no bigger than a soda lid, before another spawned from it and grew outward. Both were sealed entities, and the growth of the outer layer created a vacuum.

When he released it, a thundering noise resounded throughout the street as air rushed in to fill the empty cavity, yanking and tossing the three soldiers several yards. More still fired though, and he needed to not have them shooting, it was taking too much of his focus to keep alive. Deke waded in at a group of them, the rush surprising them, and began beating on them, physically. Well, he was able to enhance his strength some, making sure when he hit, they stayed down a while.

Above him, Barbara kept in the air, listening to the other choppers coordinate. She was wary of using the weapons available for the potential for loss of life and collateral damage. [When the other birds come in, one of them is prepped for capture from the way it sounds. Could be gas, electrical, whatever, don't let anything touch you. Help's coming.]

Deke wasn't going to lament the help. He snapped one of the soldier's arms at the elbow, feeling slightly bad about it, and tossed him into a group of his friends. These guys were obviously the distraction, a speedbump at worst, and he'd gotten drawn into them. With a few down though, he was able to focus more on using his powers offensively though, and began ripping weapons from their hands and destroying them.

The three other choppers finally made their way in, moving to converge. Barbara couldn't safely tangle with them, but there _was_ something she could do. An excellent pilot, she began spoiling their flight paths, putting her helo in the way when any of the others tried to drop ropes. She even had a moment to whip a batarang out the window of her aircraft, expertly drilling the sniper as he tried in vain to line up a shot.

Above Deke, there was a strange ballet of helicopters. He couldn't spare a real look, but he knew who was responsible. One of them was in too close for any of the others to use any weapons without hitting or damaging the rest. Damn, his girl was good.

A few whooshing sounds filled the air as Deke lobbed kinetic energy at the remaining shooters, knocking them flat. He was about to take himself back into the air to help Barbara when another black shape shot through the sky. A bright blue flash erupted in between the still airborne helicopters, though no explosions followed it. Instead, the whining of the engines slowing down met his ears.

[Damn EMP's] Barbara groused, pulling her bird out of the cluster and moving to set it down before it crashed. She didn't have much time, so she had to focus everything on that, so when the other choppers went to land on rooftops or on the ground, she couldn't warn her boy that all those troops were spilling out.

Not that he didn't notice pretty quickly. The air around him filled with lead pretty suddenly, forcing him back onto the defensive. Instead of just blocking the rounds though, he ducked down an alleyway for a moment, took a breath, and poked back out, making a large swiping motion with his left hand, before launching himself in flight towards the only group not using standard rifles. Those would be the capture team, and if they wanted him, they could have him.

As he moved, several sudden eruptions of smoke clogged the city street and the small park nearby. There's the cavalry, Deke thought to himself as he used a telekinetically powered punch to send a man in some kind of strange exosuit flying. Another cloud erupted near him, this one an off blue-ish color. Deke immediately surrounded his head with a sealed dome, and began pulling gas masks off the capture team, some with his hands, others with his powers.

As he did, some of the team began trying to pound on him with shock prods. That actually hurt pretty bad as he couldn't exactly stop electricity. It might have been too little too late though as they lost their gas masks and succumbed to the gas they were trying to capture him with. He turned, ready to take on more people, feeling incredibly alive, but all he saw when he looked were piles of unconscious people as the smoke clouds cleared.

Batman stood amidst one of them, looking like Batman always looked. Deke raised a hand to him in greeting, but the Dark Knight's eyes flew wide. Then, there was nothing in his world besides a sudden blossom of intense pain in his chest, followed by cold, and then, nothing.

October 16th  
The Batcave  
0027 EST

Slowly, the world came back into focus. He could feel the cool and gentle breeze of oxygen filling the plastic mask on his face, but more than that, there was a prevalent and near debilitating pain in his chest.

"This is not how I wanted you to see this place." Deke heard, and felt his hand being squeezed. It was Barbara, his love, and more became right in the world. He tried to sit up, and that just was not happening. "No, stay still."

Deke began looking around. He was in a cave, a big cave, filled with all manner of amazing stuff. Holy damn, it took almost dying, but he was in the Batcave! It must have been obvious too, because Barbara facepalmed.

"You nearly died, and you're fanboying about being in the Batcave? You can't be that badly hurt." She said, and looked over her shoulder. Whoever was there was someone that made her smile, which had to be a good sign.

"Our patient is awake." A British accented voice said, just out of Deke's field of view. He did see Barbara accept a cup from whoever it was, and she sipped at it. "Good thing it was a rubber round."

"That was rubber?" Deke muttered under the oxygen mask. "Felt like, a semi or something."

"Thank you." Barbara said, and took another sip of tea. "It was rubber, but it probably would have killed anyone not powered or armored. Batman said he saw the disruption of air around you before it hit, he apparently signaled you quickly enough."

"Reflex." Deke muttered, and shut his eyes. It hurt to talk, it hurt to breathe, it even hurt to think, but that might have been him projecting onto himself.

"Whatever bro, you lived, that's what matters." Another voice, this one was Robin's. He leaned over Deke and gave a nod. "We got them though, wrapped up nice and tight. Gotham PD is handling them now."

"We should perhaps let Mister O'Connelly rest, Master Robin." The British voice said, still outside of field of view. Whoever the guy was, he was keen on keeping out of the way, which Deke supposed made plenty of sense.

"Do I have time to trance?" Deke muttered, the request taking way too long to make.

"Yeah," Barbara said, still squeezing his hand. "Just go deep and stay that way, and don't be surprised if you wake up somewhere else. I promise I'll be there when you do."

"Food please." Deke said, and began shutting down everything he didn't need to keep living, and set about forcing his body to recuperate. He really needed to learn to not get hurt. This pain thing was for the birds.

Barbara held a finger up at Alfred's quizzical look, and watched her boy's breathing and body language. When she was satisfied he was thoroughly tranced out, she spoke. "He burns a lot of calories self-healing." She explained. "And we can talk now, he's out for several hours."

"Mistress Barbara, are you certain? We were left very specific instructions." Alfred argued. Bruce had made it exceedingly clear where the boy was allowed to be, and what he could see and hear.

"I am very certain." Barbara replied, and slid off the table to see what Tim was working on.

"Their weapons are all basic AR pattern rifles, serial numbers have been stripped, and internals were modified for automatic fire. The big rifles were metallurgical matches to fifty calibers reported stolen at the manufacturer to the BATFE. The only oddities were the capture team. Those shock batons weren't cattle prods, and the aerosolized anesthetic has a chemical makeup the Batcomputer can't cross reference. Also, that exosuit looked like a complete custom build, and a good one too." Tim said with a frown. His eyes narrowed, the same way Bruce and Dick's would, when confronted with a puzzle.

"So, we've got the flash drive he was given, and that's it?" Barbara asked. "I don't think I like that being our only lead at the moment. For all we know, they were lures and the drive contains a virus."

"That's up to you to figure out. You're a hundred times better with that than I am." Tim replied to the woman who had become his big sister over the couple of years he'd been working with the family. "Batman's out hunting down the two scientists, but if you want my opinion, they're either dead, gone, or both. The nanotrackers you slipped the guy went dead not long after we arrived. Also, I'm supposed to tell you, you're too close to this and let us handle it, but we both know how well that's going to work."

Barbara scowled, the expression foreign to her otherwise lovely features. "Exactly."


	12. Chapter 12

October 16th  
Gotham CIty  
1204 EST

Sunlight was the first thing Deke noticed when he opened his eyes. Comfort was the other. He was most certainly not in the Batcave any longer. He still hurt, but less so, enough that sitting up wasn't a struggle. The bedroom he was in, he was intimately familiar with, emphasis on the intimate. He was also naked. That was new.

In the other room in the small apartment, he could hear Barbara's sweet voice singing as she busied herself with something or other. It was 'We found love', the song she'd sang to him months ago when walking on his back for him. As far as he was concerned, it was a good as song as any to make _theirs_. She'd argue she couldn't sing, but he didn't care.

Deke looked around and saw his underwear laying on the floor, and pulled them on. The act hurt, but when he looked down at his body, he could see that he wasn't the roadmap of pain that Knockout had left him back in July. That either spoke well of him, or her, or maybe both. He wasn't about to look her up and ask.

Slowly, he made his way into the living room, surprised at what he saw. On the coffee table, couch, and both chairs, several laptops were open, and sitting in the middle of them was Barbara, in a sports bra and yoga pants, her hair in a messy bun, and her glasses perched on her nose as she worked. There were several bruised spots on her abdomen and shoulders, and a nasty looking bruise on her face that blended into a wicked shiner. Even then, she was still a work of art to him.

"Do I even wanna see the other guy?" He asked, and was pleasantly surprised at her reaction. She was startled, which meant he'd snuck up on her. It'd probably never happen again, and nobody would believe it, but it had happened all the same.

"Hey baby," Barbara said with a smile. "You really don't. I might have taken a rifle butt to the face a little personally. Are you cold?"

Deke nodded. "Yeah, a little. Where's my clothes?"

"Wrecked, unfortunately." Barbara replied. "We had to cut your shirt off of you to make sure you were okay, and your pants got tore up in the altercation, we're not sure how." She tossed him a blanket, and moved one of her laptops off the couch to let him sit.

"Yay me." Deke muttered. "What're you doing?"

"Sifting through that flash drive, making sure there's no Trojans or other viruses before the data itself can be opened. Safety first." She said, and reached out an arm to pat him on the leg. "There's a surprise on the kitchen counter for us, by the way. Should still be hot and fresh."

"You got pizza?" Deke asked, his stomach already rumbling like an angry beast. When Barbara just smiled cryptically, he got up and stumbled to the kitchenette. On the counter was some kind of sealable travel container, and good sized too. He popped the lid open and saw a small tray of food, and if his stomach was grumbling before, it was roaring now.

"What is this?" He asked, grabbing forks, plates, and the whole container, and levitating them into the living room as he returned. "It smells amazing."

"Beef wellington from that English gentleman you sort of met last night." Barbara said. It was one of Alfred's signature dishes, and one of her favorites. He'd dropped it off less than an hour ago while running errands. "One day, you'll get to meet him properly."

"Can't wait." Deke said with some excitement. The large container held not only the beef wellington, but roasted potatoes and green beans. Life was looking up.

"Me either, get to work Cowboy." Barbara said, showing him the tip of her tongue. She didn't just sit there and let him serve her though, because not only would that be rude, but she was hungry, and waiting took too long.

After the first bite, Deke leaned his head back and smiled. He heard the noise of a camera shutter and saw that his girl had snapped a picture of him on her phone. "For the cook, he wanted to know if you liked it."

"Yeah, it's alright." Deke said with a grin, and dug in. He had to force himself not to wolf it down. He was extremely hungry, the effort of healing himself leaving him rather empty, and inhaling his plate like a caveman seemed outright disrespectful. Besides, that's what Big Belly Burger was for.

Thinking of food though got him on another track. "Did the Falafel House get shot up last night?"

"Yeah, it was torn up pretty bad. Turns out rubber rounds still do a number on things." Barbara said after swallowing her bite of food. Alfred had outdone himself. "But, Robin is a genius."

"You all are. It's kind of overwhelming being in the same room." Deke said around a mouthful of green beans. "What'd he find?"

Barbara paused her fork to answer. "He did a chemical analysis on the rubber the rounds were made from, and tracked the specific formula to a chemical plant on Long Island. He also managed to pull plant spores, and found species not native to Gotham. It's led us to Montauk, so, once we've got this flash drive figured out, how about you and I hit the Hamptons?"

Deke grinned a vicious smile. He wanted some payback. "Baby, you know me so well."

"It's easy when we want the same thing." Barbara replied. She had to wonder if that was always going to be how it was between them. She was an uncontested master of overthinking things, and their relationship fell into that category, it seemed more frequently of late. She assumed it was societal conditioning that her thoughts had drifted to whether or not they had a future, and what that future would be.

"You know," Deke said after a few moments of quiet eating. "I wish I could take a picture of you right now and show it off. You're in your element, and you look beautiful just being there."

"In front of a plate of traditional English food?" Barbara asked, cutting herself another bite. "Or did you mean the laptops?"

"Kinda both, and you're still in your workout clothes. I bet you were up around six, knocked out your yoga, and you've been crushing on whatever these computers are doing since then." Deke said, taking in the whole of her.

"Be glad we found each other, because I don't think a pickup line like that would work with anyone else, ever." Barbara said, though her cheeks were nicely pink.

"How's it working for you?" Deke asked, popping another bite into his mouth. Whoever that Englishman was, he could cook like a champ.

"Perfect." Barbara replied. "But if you're looking to get lucky, you might want to spend some more time seeing to yourself. How's the line go? Physician, heal thyself?"

"Yeah, you know that's supposed to be a lesson in not succumbing to injuries a doc's trying to treat, right?" Deke said, having just gotten that explanation the other day in class.

"Yes I do, so before we skip over to New York this evening to potentially put a hurting on someone, make sure you're not hurting any more. Getting lucky comes afterwards, either celebration or consolation." Barbara said matter-of-factly, punctuating her statement by taking a bite of her lunch.

"I'd prefer celebration." He replied.

"Who wouldn't?" She said, tapping a few keys on the laptop in front of her. "It's what I'm making plans for."

"Oh, you're making plans huh?" Deke said accusingly.

"I might be, but a girl's secrets are her own." Barbara said, cross referencing lines of code from one laptop to another. "The secrets on this flash drive though, they're mine too. Well, they're ours, no, that's not right. They're yours; do you want some privacy to look things over first? I kinda waited to take a shower until this was done so I had a reason to be out of the room."

"No, you did just as much work, and you said it before, we in this together. Besides, I'll probably need help interpreting the information." Deke said, shaking his head. "So, how about you and me get in the shower together after lunch, maybe do some mutual hair washin', and then we'll look at the stuff together?" Deke said with a smarmy grin.

"That sounds lovely." Barbara said, and already her emotional well-being was getting excited. The very simple act of washing one another's hair was a perfect scenario in her head, one the couple engaged in whenever possible, and those possibilities had been coming less and less frequently. It was one of the reasons she'd went ahead and asked him about moving in with her. It had been fast, but she never went into anything unprepared.

He was as tidy as she was, they shared a lot of similar goals, and both of them had their extracurricular activities to keep them from being wedged up each other's behinds at all hours. They were emotionally and sexually compatible, her father liked him well enough, and his adoptive parents seemed to like her pretty well, once they both got past their issues with their children dating at all.

Of course, Barbara hadn't told her Dad she was wanting to move in with her boy. It was something she was planning to discuss when she stayed with him for the week, but she was going to wait until the last moment to mention it. She had a feeling he wouldn't react well.

Deke stood up and offered his girl his hand. She took it and rose with him, grabbing their empty plates and setting them on the counter as they headed to the bathroom. He turned the water on, letting it heat up, and slipped his fingers under the band of her sports bra. Feeling suddenly bashful, she gave a flirtatiously shy look at him as he removed the garment, though she felt relieved as it came off of her. His touch did things to her, the tips of her exposed breasts giving her away, but it came at the expense of his own body betraying him as well.

She wanted to touch him, she wanted touched by him, and the look on his face was a clear indicator he felt the same way. "We're going to wind up playing around before we get to business tonight, aren't we?" Barbara asked as he put his hands on her hips and began sliding her yoga pants and panties down.

"Only if you want to." Deke said, slowly going to a knee and looking up at her, and damn if it wasn't just as much a turn on for her as he said it was for him. "I can live a while longer." He added reassuringly.

"I love you Deacon." Barbara said, putting her fingers into his hair, playing with it while he finished stripping her. It was plain they had power over one another, but they were both content not to abuse it.

"I love you too Barbara." Her boy said as he stood back up. He went to pull his underwear off, but she put her hands on his, and returned his favor. Of course, when he sprung from his underwear with a bounce, she had to suppress a giggle, as well as some more lust-driven behavior.

"No, I thought it was funny too." Deke said, not suppressing his own laugh. "C'mere."

Barbara rose, letting that giggle out, and the two of them got into the shower. Both of them had taken a few licks the night before, and the water felt spectacular. Barbara had also began a new yoga routine, which made her previous seem tame, so her muscles were in a state of aggravation. When her boy's hands touched her, the comfort of it made her coo contentedly and lean her back against his chest, while the water struck her breasts and abdomen.

They enjoyed each other's company for a good while, just relaxing. While she was washing her boy's hair, Barbara began planning for their trip to Montauk. They could Zeta to Mount Justice, and catch a boat, or borrow the bioship if M'gann was willing. It would be faster than driving the length of Long Island, and provide a more clandestine approach as well.

When Deke took his turn washing her up, he had no such preparatory thoughts. It wasn't how he operated. It was just him, his girl, and some hot water. He could feel her emotional state, and he allowed himself to get caught up in it, the comfort and contentment a bright palette on the canvas of their relationship.

Despite being in there for long enough to properly prune up, it felt over far too soon. Barbara had shooed him out so that she could handle some grooming, which gave him time to figure his clothing situation out. He had a spare long rider in his closet in Destin, and half his wardrobe there too. But, and this was the problem, he had nothing to wear to get to the phone booth to Zeta down there. He couldn't just up and fly either, since they were tracking him by the way his disturbed the air in flight.

Frowning, he walked into the bedroom, in the hopes he'd left at least something in here. All he could find however, were clothes which belonged to other people. Not a bit of it would fit either, and it left him for once complaining and lamenting his physique. No, to hell with that, he was still happy with what was in the mirror, he wasn't going to give himself even more body issues.

Deke picked up his phone, and thumbed through the contacts. When he hit on who he was looking for, he hit send. "Hey brother, can you do me a solid?" he asked as he tossed his underwear in the washer, using his powers to wrap his towel around his waist.

"I kinda don't have any clothes, or my coat. You at the hacienda?" He asked, sitting down on the couch and opening up the flash drive's contents. It appeared to be a series of PDF files, videos, and slideshow presentations.

"Awesome, just a pair of jeans and a shirt, I don't really care, but I need my spare coat." He said over the phone. Barbara overheard him as she slipped out of the bathroom, and quietly padded over to the sofa, leaning over him to see what was on the laptop.

"No, I'm in an apartment, hundred and fifth and Wiseman. Yeah, Five Dee. No, it's, it's uh," Deke said, distracted by the file labeled Subject Eleven. "Sorry bro, uptown, not far from the college. I think I've got some spare cash in my desk if you need to get a cab or something."

Barbara was just as distracted. The information just on page one was potentially bothersome, and it was just a basic profile, but it was terrifyingly accurate. Social anxiety, self-esteem issues, potential for loss of self-control in the wrong conditions, likely to glom quickly to honest affection and attention, loyal. If she didn't know she was reading about her lover, she'd swear she was reading about a rescue dog.

"Mahalo bro, I owe you. See you in an hour or so I guess. I'll leave the door unlocked." Deke said, hanging his phone up.

"So I should be dressed before then?" Barbara said, leaning down and kissing her boy on the cheek, maneuvering herself into position so that her breasts rested on his shoulders.

She squeaked in surprise when he licked one of them before turning his head around to try and kiss her back. "Unless you're okay with Koa seeing you in the buff, yeah. I don't much care because I think he's seen my junk more than I have, but I work with the guy."

Barbara giggled and waltzed into the bedroom, throwing a pair of panties, jeans and a long sleeve tee shirt on. She double checked her drawer to make sure the underwear she wanted to wear that night were in there, and when satisfied, she tossed a comfortable bra over her shoulder and went back into the living room. There was no reason to put it on yet, so she wasn't about to bother until she had to.

When she returned, her boy was still reading, and the look on his face wasn't as playful as it was when she'd left the room. He had a deep scowl etched on his face, and she wasn't perfectly certain, but it looked like the tv remote, the candy dish, and her copy of Bust were all quivering on the coffee table, as though held by a furious and unseen hand.

"Deke baby," she began, sliding onto the couch next to him. "Are you okay?"

Her boy took a breath and turned to look at her. "Not really, no." He said, and showed her the screen. What Barbara saw there brought a shocked, and extremely unhappy look to her face as well.


	13. Chapter 13

October 16th  
Gotham CIty  
1420 EST

"They knew." Deke said, clenching his eyes shut tight to fight tears. "Babs, they knew it was going to give my mom cancer, and they did it anyway."

The words on the screen were plain. 'Subject Eleven's parent will likely develop cancerous cells from specific frequencies of radiation and familial history. Threat to s11 is negligible. Orders are to proceed as planned.' It said. Barbara leaned over, grabbed her boy, and pressed his head to her chest. He needed the best hug she had.

"They killed her," he sniffled against her. "Because they _thought_ I might get some stupid powers." By that point, the tears flowed free. Barbara just held him against her, stroking his hair. He kept repeating that they'd killed her as he cried. She kissed him on the top of his head and just held on.

"I know honey, I know." Barbara said in a gentle, shushing tone. "We're heading to their lab tonight, we can get evidence and bring them to justice, and those powers they gave you, are going to be their downfall."

"Yeah, they are." He muttered. "Every godamn one of them."

The iron in his voice worried her. What was supposed to be some information gathering, maybe shining a light on a place, sounded like it was quickly becoming a mission of pure vengeance. She couldn't let him go off the rails and do something he'd regret, but she couldn't just vanish and handle it herself, he'd never forgive her. The knock she heard at the door though, gave her an idea.

"It's open Liho." Barbara called out. When the door opened, she was probably just as surprised by what she saw, as he was with what he saw. Koa was wearing a shirt, which made the second time she'd seen him in one, but it was short sleeved, and he was wearing sandals and board shorts. He had to be positively freezing, no matter how accustomed to the cold depths of the ocean he might be.

"Hey fam." Koa said, stepping inside. "My bro okay?"

"Got some bad news is all." Barbara said, letting Deke up. There were wet stains from his tears on his shirt, but high enough not to make for an embarrassing situation. She hastily grabbed her bra and stood up, turning away from her boy's teammate. "Be right back."

"Sure. We kickin' someone's ass?" Koa asked, sitting down and handing Deke the gym bag he'd brought.

"Probably." Barbara called from the bedroom while she quickly slipped her bra on. She didn't like answering for him, and wouldn't under normal circumstances, but this was anything but normal. She didn't need the psych profile from his dossier to tell her that if he had others around, he was less likely to do something reckless. "Wanna join us?"

The idea sounded good to Deke, who had pulled a pair of boxer briefs on under his towel. "Yeah, might be fun." He said, ditching his towel and throwing on jeans.

"Yeah, sure." Koa replied. "I ain't doin' nothin'." He shrugged and pulled up a chair, kicking back in the thing, though his massive frame made it less than ideal. "Might as well call the whole team though. This waitin' on something is getting boring."

Well, that might bite her in the ass, Barbara thought, coming back into the living space after putting her bra on and changing shirts. She was suddenly responsible for an entire team, not just her boy and his friend. It was too late to back out now though. "Make the calls if you would please Liho. I need to see my boy to bed."

Koa went beet red at that. "Oh hey, there's plenty of places to eat, I can scoot for a while." He said, getting out of his seat.

Barbara giggled, trying to keep her mood light. "Not what I meant Liho, He's got some more healing to do, and you're not dressed for Gotham autumn."

"Oh yeah," Koa said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry sistah, sorry brah."

"I'd've reacted about the same brother." Deke said, wondering why he bothered getting dressed. "Thanks for bringing my stuff for me."

"Say nothing brah." Koa said with a wide gesture. "Ohana, right?"

"Ohana." Deke replied. "Might as well make the calls while I'm down."

"Yup, on it." Koa said, digging his phone out. "Where we meeting?"

"Mount Justice." Barbara answered, shooing her boy into the bedroom, but not before planting a sweet kiss on him. "We're heading out from there."

"Awesome." Koa said, shooting the message and then deciding there was just way more room on the floor. He took a seat with his back against the couch and let his phone rest in his lap. He was finally starting to warm up in the small apartment, and he was enjoying it. He was left alone for a few minutes before Barbara came back into the room.

"So, how's Liho?" She asked, offering him a bottle of water.

"Good sistah, life always got me happy." He said, taking a sip from the bottle. "I think when Queen Mera's son get older, I might be assigned his permanent guard. Pretty prestigious, yeah?"

"Yes it is." Barbara replied, but something had her curious. "So, you always refer to her as Queen Mera, but you only refer to her husband as Aquaman. May I ask why?"

"Sure. He's not my king, sistah. When I signed on, I swore loyalty to her, and only her. All her guard loyal only to her. Aquaman get respect, but she get fealty. It's so if something go cross, we not conflicted. We serve her and only her." Koa replied, rubbing his biceps to try and bring more warmth into them.

Barbara tossed him a blanket, which on him was more of a decorative throw than a proper cover, but he took it and wrapped it over his massive torso the best he could. "So, what's the bad news?"

"I think it's more Deke's to tell." Barbara replied. "I detest the term, but it's applicable here, in that it's not my place to share."

"Go for it." Came from the bedroom, where Deke had finally gotten himself comfortable. It didn't hurt that his best friend and girlfriend were chattering about things in such a friendly manner.

"Okay then." Barbara said, then tossed a pillow into the bedroom. "You get some trance, finish healing up."

Koa snickered as the muffled 'yes ma'am' came from the bedroom. Barbara shook her head and turned to face him. "So, we discovered where his powers came from, and, in the process, discovered it was the same thing that gave his mother cancer. I'm glad you and the team will be coming along."

Koa nodded. "Yeah, ohana, it's always that simple sistah. We ride or die, you know? Fractal gonna wanna know the play though, and my brah say you always got one."

"Sweet of him to say." Barbara said with a smile. "And yes, I have a couple of plays. We know where the facility that spawned it all is located. I was going to go in on point, make sure it's clear, and then go from there. With Fractal and Godiva handy, they might be able to sneak in as scientists and get more info. If the place is empty, we gather all the evidence we can, if it's not, we probably blow the whole lid off the place. They had a big hit team show up, so it might be dangerous."

"Then, we do blow the lid off the place. I can dig it. Where's it at?" Koa asked. His phone pinged with an affirmative from Fractal, saying the team would meet, and asking when. "Oh, and when?"

"Tonight, it's on Montauk in New York, about thirty miles from Happy Harbor across Block Island Sound. We're taking either a boat or Miss Martian's bioship, but that's only if there's absolutely no chance the team will need it, so, probably a boat. We'll leave at seven thirty." Barbara said. When Koa picked up his phone to reply to Fractal, she took the opportunity to do an online order for some Indian food to be delivered in a couple of hours.

"Okay, sent." Koa said, and then took on a very solemn look on his face. "Yeah, he totally in his zone. Can we talk now, like, for reals?"

"I thought we were?" Barbara asked.

"You sneak in, do Batgirl things, and if it gets hot, you call for him and the place fall apart. You don't need us." Koa said, once again reminding her that he was far more observant than people gave him credit for. "I'm glad you asked, but you don't."

Barbara sighed. "Yeah, about that. Thank you for agreeing, and I'll be honest, all of the information in his file says he's more dangerous than he shows. I'm worried."

"We all more dangerous than we look sistah. All of us holdin' back all the time. I think that's why they put us on a team, so we could be watched easier. Like, you know, monitored." Koa said, taking another drink of water and giving her a straightforward glance.

"Wait, Liho, you don't think I…" Barbara asked, not sure if she liked what she believed he was insinuating.

"Oh no, not you. I know balance when I see it. No, like, Cap'n Atom say we get to be league if we're good, right? Like, we get to go get ice cream if we behave at the store kinda same thing. I know Fractal and Lady G feel the same way." He said, downing the last of his bottle of water. "But, that's not you, so I ain't dump that on you. You right though, we're dangerous. You think our boy gonna go off the chain or something?"

Barbara nodded. "First night I met him, he was planning to kill a man. I managed to talk him out of it, and he didn't seem committed to it. Well, he's proven he's capable of commitment if he wants something. We're alike that way, and I can't guess as to how I'd react in his shoes, so, my crystal ball's on the fritz for this one."

"Okay, I dig it. What your gut tell you?" Koa asked. "And where do I get another?" he asked, holding up the empty bottle.

"There's a pitcher in the fridge you're welcome to, and my gut says I'm trying to reinvent the wheel." Barbara replied.

"He say you do that a lot." Koa said with a rather charming smile. "But that's part of why he loves you too." He added as he rose and headed to the kitchenette.

"He talks about us?" Barbara asked. "Mind if I ask what about?"

"Nothing, y'know, intimate, but yeah, some. He wanna do right by you sistah." Koa said, digging out the biggest cup in the cabinets, filling it, and then refilling the pitcher. "I don't think anyone ever told him he's still a teenager."

"That's comforting to know." Barbara said, feeling warm. It made her decision to ask him to move in with her all the more right in her eyes. "What about you? Anyone got their eyes on you?"

"Me? Nah. Lady G comes around every now and then when she wants a sure thing, but I'm not allowed to have any kind of attachment like that. Since the UN recognize Atlantis, I have dual citizenship, and I'm on record as guard in case my queen want to come up to the surface for anything. Someone find out I got a squeeze, I could be leveraged, which ain't good." Koa said with a shrug.

"I had no idea." Barbara replied. "I suppose Godiva keeps you company well enough?"

"Nah, not me, just my bed, but I'm cool. Soul surfers might go out in packs, but only one rides the wave. I got enough friends that I don't feel alone." He said, taking a seat back on the floor.

"Well good." Barbara said. She genuinely cared for her boy's team. They'd made her feel extremely welcome at every turn, though Koa had taken the gold home in that event. "Deke says you're his best friend."

"Oh yeah? That's awesome." Koa said, turning a bit red. "Would it be rude if I caught a quick snooze though? I been up all night doing monitor at the hacienda. I don't snore or nothing."

"Some rest would help I think, but don't lay on the floor, the couch folds out." Barbara said, when Koa just turned around and stretched out where he sat.

"The couch probably don't hold my weight sistah, but it's cool. One time I slept in the parking lot of our base, because there was a good rain that night. I can sleep anywhere." He said, waving at her.

"Have a good nap Liho." Barbara said, handing him one of the couch cushions to use as a pillow, before walking into the bedroom. Her boy was laying down, arms behind his head. Barbara half closed the door, ditched her bra, and curled up against him, resting her head on his chest. While she laid there, listening to his very shallow breathing and heartbeat, her mind began wandering, as it tended to do. Before long, she found herself catching a nap herself.

Her dreams were of her future, and they were lovely. Next to her, he had no dreams, but the deepest thoughts still able to cross his mind while he was shut down, were of vengeance.


	14. Chapter 14

October 16th  
Montauk New York  
1645 EST

Camp Hero, a part of the Montauk Air Station, was a decommissioned military base. It sat unused for twenty four years, so far as anyone was aware, but looks were apparently deceiving. Well off the beaten path, away from the hiking trails that tourists loved to use, sat a facility that had seen better days, but again, that was deception.

Koa, wearing black shorts and strips of black greasepaint (stealth gear in his own words) moved silently through the undergrowth on approach to the facility that Batgirl and Fractal agreed had to be in use. His size would lead people to believe that he was a lumbering ox, but the opposite was actually true. He'd received a lot of training in his role as one of Mera's guardians, not just knowing how to jump in front of a live weapon.

[Clear to a hundred feet.] he thought, using the mental link Mustang had set up to communicate silently.

[We're on your back.] Batgirl replied, moving through tree branches above him like the ninja her boyfriend liked to describe her as. Below her, Fractal moved along on the ground, carefully picking his way through the forest floor. He walked in slow, measured steps, taking his time to remain quiet.

Behind them, just in the woodline away from the beach, Godiva, Mustang, and Daeva sat ready. Godiva might be agile, and she was certainly graceful, but silent, she was not, so she remained behind to hang with their air support, ready to be called into her full ass kicking glory.

"You okay?" Daeva asked in a small voice, putting her small hand on her teammate's bicep. She'd heard he hadn't taken the news he'd received well.

Mustang nodded, reaching into his coat to withdraw a small circular container, about the size of a hockey puck. He quietly snapped the thing a few times before taking a pinch out and tucking it between his lower lip and gum.

"That's a gross habit, how does she even kiss you?" Godiva asked in a similarly low voice, her nose turned up in disgust.

"Beef jerky's a disgusting habit?" Mustang replied quietly, turning the can around so they could see the lid.

"Sorry," Godiva replied. "Can I have some then?"

Mustang handed her the plastic container and relaxed, letting the flavor of the salty spiced beef dissolve into his mouth. He was still a nervous eater, and at the moment, his nerves were twitching. He wanted desperately to be aloft, providing overwatch for the forward team, not hanging back and waiting for the all clear.

[We're at the building.] Batgirl said over the link. [Fractal and I are breaking security. You're all clear to move up.]

"Let us sally forth." Daeva said, smoothing out the black athletic gear she wore. This would usually be accompanied by a purple and blue sari, but such a thing had no place in the woods at night, especially on a stealth mission. Once she rose, she made a quick swishing gesture with both hands, summoning low fog to help conceal their boat.

"I'll take point." Mustang said, and began walking along, going down the same path Fractal had followed. Daeva came up behind him, and Godiva pulled up rear, intentionally putting the most fragile member of their team in between them.

Once to the door of the building, which was at one point a gun turret during and after World War two, they saw their team gesturing towards them. [All the cameras are on loop.] Batgirl said, sounding quite proud of herself. [And Fractal's got control of the doors. There are people inside, but it doesn't seem like many, and the ones who are there, don't appear armed.]

[Obfuscation security.] Fractal said, gesturing towards the door. [It's amazing until you're discovered.]

[Seems so low buget.] Godiva said, glancing around. If they hadn't been in costume, they could have just acted like a bunch of horny teenagers trying to find a place to have some fun, but if they were caught, it would be a fight. [Hope it stays that way.]

Batgirl waited by the door. When she signaled Fractal, he in turn issued a mental command to his nanite army, triggering the sequence which opened the doors. Greeting them was a long descending hallway, which the crew moved down quietly, hugging the walls. It was dark, with only dull yellow running lights to offer any illumination.

The first few levels were nothing more than utility. A few quad bikes sat parked near the landing on the first floor. Batgirl and Koa cut the ignition wires, and they continued on. Down further, they found a cafeteria, which earned Koa and Mustang the nicknames of Shaggy and Scooby when they both tried to sneak in for something to eat.

Down further were empty labs, further still were storage areas full of empty crates, and that's where Batgirl started getting annoyed. [We shouldn't have this easy a time.] she said, signaling the team to hunker down in the empty depot. [There were people inside, we saw it.]

It was then that Koa scowled. His ears, biotechnologically enhanced, began picking something up. [We're made.] He said, and cracked his neck and knuckles.

[Up high.] Daeva said, lifting herself aloft, joined by Mustang who bounced himself into the air, the two of them hovering among the ceiling mounted crane assembly. Fractal and Godiva slipped towards the doors, while Batgirl simply vanished.

There was nothing for several minutes. Koa, who had positioned himself behind a forklift, grabbed hold of the thing, waiting to lob it, when the doors swished open. [Now!] Batgirl said over their link, having identified the people coming in as having weapons, which made no sense.

The forklift went flying as Koa whipped the thing, giving a terrifying roar as he did. The group of armed people scattered, some coming in, others keeping out. Batgirl lobbed a few smoke pellets from her concealed position, and leapt in, striking several as she moved.

The forklift, meanwhile, began melting, dissolving into its constituent materials, before reshaping itself. It allowed more people in, but once Koa and Godiva got mixed into them, the extra pressure could be handled.

Up above, Daeva generated winds to buffet more of the team at the door, while Mustang yanked weapons from their hands and crushed them, using the power of his telekinetic grip to ruin them quickly.

[We have a problem!] Batgirl called out as she dropped what had to be her twelfth target. They just weren't stopping. How they missed all these people in the security scrub was impossible.

[I have the solution.] Fractal replied, stepping into the mass of machinery he'd created. Immediately, it came to life, the power armor he's crafted for himself out of forklift parts becoming much more threatening than the scrap it was only a moment ago. [We can't get pinned here, might as well make a mess getting out.]

[I heard that. Link's going down for a minute.] Mustang said, coming to a perch on one of the beams. He severed the link and reached out, touching the minds in range. Fear was the overwhelming sensation he felt. These people weren't professional soldiers, only a small handful had any amount of weapons training whatsoever. It meant they had no real stomach for what they were doing, which gave him an in. Instead of some kind of communication, which he felt would be ignored out of that same fear, or a telepathic suggestion, which he really had no desire to ever do to someone, he instead generated a massive amount of psychic static. Almost immediately, the press-gang of security began wailing and screaming, dropping their weapons and going to their knees, ineffectually covering their ears.

"It ain't permanent." Mustang muttered, pushing hard at them. His heart beat, only seconds ago pounding, found a calm, steady rhythm, and the excitement and tension of the moment just seemed to fade away. It wouldn't take much to end these people, their brains melting out of their ears in psychic trauma, and what in the actual hell was he thinking?

He severed the connection, shaking his head with a furious motion. It had tried creeping up on him again, that hateful voice fueled by years of solitude and abuse and intensified by being pent up for so long. "Wish somebody would try robots again." He muttered.

"Let's go!" Batgirl called. She dashed down the hallway, the team on her heels. She wasn't about to waste the trip here on thumping some half-assed security forces that didn't know the barrel of their weapon from the stock.

[We're live and in living color.] Mustang said, swooping down from his perch, but remaining aloft as they went down the hallway. It was game on now, and no sense in being quiet. He kept near the ceiling, every door they almost passed, he ripped from the wall, giving them access.

[We on the bottom level.] Koa said, a few floors and a couple more altercations with the low rent security later. Just more and more empty labs, offices, and utility areas greeted them as they'd moved. [No echoes below us.] he said, referencing the sonar he had built into him.

[Security office, right here.] Daeva said, pointing towards one of the few doors still on its hinges. [If you would please?]

Fractal grabbed the thing in his massive power armor fist, ripping it from the fixtures. [That was cathartic.] He said, and stepped aside. Batgirl and Godiva moved in, one to try and get information, the other to cover her.

[One last room.] Mustang said, grabbing the huge double doors and pulling. Unlike the rest, this one was anchored more securely, and weighed a great deal more. Sweat formed as he pulled, putting everything he had into his effort. Slowly, the metal buckled and groaned under the enormous pressure he put against it.

[Goldmine! Fractal, drop the suit and get in here.] Batgirl said after she cracked the security on the computers in the security office. Unlike the people who were guarding the place, the cybersecurity was excellent.

Fractal willed his creation to release him, a panel opening up just as the doors at the end of the hall finally gave way. He'd no sooner stepped from around the thing when a single shot rang out, striking him in the collar.

"Oh Hell no!" Koa roared once he saw the shooter in the huge room. A man with unruly blonde hair, wearing a loose red bandanna for a mask, and dressed in a green longcoat dropped the scoped rifle he held, and drew a pair of pistols.

"Oh hell yes." The man said, peppering the massive Hawaiian as he charged. Daeva was immediately with her team leader, checking him out, and was joined quickly by Mustang.

"He's not good, we gotta get him out of here." Mustang said with a frown. The bleeding wasn't bad enough to indicate damage to the subclavian artery but all that meant was death wasn't going to be immediate. He tore a pouch of quickclot open with his mouth and dumped it into the wound.

"We'll cover your exit, get out of here." Godiva all but shrieked, waving as she and Batgirl passed on their way to help Koa. A trait she didn't often display, Lady G moved at incredible speed. Not on the level of Kid Flash, but definitely superhuman when motivated.

[Be careful, I love you.] Mustang sent directly to his love, and used his abilities to lift Fractal as smoothly as possible. Out loud, he spoke to Daeva. "Time to show 'em who's boss."

"Of course." Daeva said, and took the forward position. Mustang put Fractal between them and followed his teammate out of the place.

In the huge room, which looked like some kind of training facility, Koa was busy with the mercenary man. While he wasn't as slow as he looked, the other guy was just plain faster. The guy dumped his ammunition ineffectively into the Atlantean warrior and went to hand to hand, striking at whatever vulnerable areas he could.

When a cloud of smoke erupted at his feet, he prepared himself for what was coming. Instinct warned him of the attack before it came, and it gave him a chance to duck an elbow shot that would have crushed his teeth and jawbone, and also allowed him the chance to retaliate on the overextended Batgirl, giving her an elbow of his own to the back of her head as he rose back up.

The explosion of pain rocked her, not at all expecting to be anticipated that quickly. She stumbled a step but regained her balance quickly, whipping a nasty crescent kick just as much as a deterrent as means to end the fight, but her foot only caught air. It was then she felt a hard impact at the back of her ankle, at the Achilles tendon, which put her on her back, hard.

"Sorry it had to be this way," she heard in her ear. "But if it's any consolation, once this is over, I'm rooting for you. Go see to your team, all of them."

Batgirl kipped up to her feet as the smoke cloud cleared. Koa was leaning against a huge treadmill, several small wounds in his torso trickling blood. Godiva was clutching her face while blood poured from between her hands. "We gotta go." She said, pulling on both of them. The way the blonde mercenary had emphasized his statement, she was worried Daeva and Mustang were about to meet something unseemly upstairs. The way he'd vanished in her own smoke cloud was already bothering her more than getting hit.

And that's exactly what happened. The moment the doors to the outside of the facility blew off their hinges, weapon fire filled the hallway. Mustang barely had a chance to throw a barrier up before the hallway turned into a lead blender. "Daeva, would you mind terribly buying me a minute?"

"Not at all." She said, able to summon lightning now that she could see the sky. Thunderheads formed rapidly, blotting out the moonlight, and within seconds, lightning began striking the ground. The weapon fire stopped as the shooters scrambled for cover, or had their night vision ruined.

That's all the time Mustang needed. He began whipping wide swaths of telekinetic energy, the force blowing people backwards, knocking them down, and nearly ripping trees from the ground. He was in absolutely no mood to put up with their nonsense. First, he's led here to get answers, then, there's not a damn thing at all, and finally, he was getting shot at while one of his friends was in serious condition. To hell with all these people.

He kept up his telekinetic assault, unleashing a steady cone of pressure. More of that fear met his thoughts, and it didn't take long before the people broke forces and ran. Mustang let them run, except one. That one got lifted from the ground and held there.

"We're here!" Godiva called, barreling up the ramp to the outside. "Let's get moving!"

A quiet ping in Batgirl's earpiece brought a moment's satisfaction. The decryption program had finished, and the data on the computers in the building were currently being pushed to a remote proxy of the Batcomputer. Whatever they had, she had. Of course, so did Bruce. She wasn't looking forward to _that_ conversation.

"Yeah, one second." Mustang said, and made a dramatic grasping motion, yanking his prisoner towards him. He stared into the prisoner's eyes, and his whole face went slack as his thoughts were being rifled through. It lasted only a short moment, before he was dropped the few inches to the ground. "Run, and pray to God that you never show up around me again." Mustang commanded, pointing towards the walkway that led away from the clandestine location.


	15. Chapter 15

October 16th  
Mount Justice  
2213 EST

"Make room!" Nightwing called out the moment the rental boat cleared the concealed access point. Batgirl had called him the moment they'd gotten into radio range to warn him they had wounded incoming. He'd used the time to make sure the infirmary doors were open, and the lights were on.

Fractal, still on a telekinetic stretcher, lifted out first. He was followed by Mustang, Batgirl, and Koa. The three of them ran full tilt towards the small infirmary, Batgirl leading the way. Superboy and Robin backed up against the wall as they ran, giving them room. Robin only shrugged, but Superboy was vigilant. "Heartrate is thready!" he called out after them.

If anyone heard, they didn't acknowledge it. Superboy turned and headed that way, Robin following. It wasn't long before Wondergirl and Beast Boy were behind them. "What happened?" Cassie asked as they headed behind the other heroes.

"One of the Movers got shot." Superboy said, bringing her up to speed. "Looks bad."

"I'll get Red." She said, and flew off.

Superboy muttered something as she passed, and headed to the observation area to, well, observe.

"Bullet's still in there." Deke said, tossing his hat and glasses off to the side of the room. "His suit ate the worst of the impact."

"How do we get that off him?" Koa asked, grabbing a pair of forceps and a basin to pull slugs from his chest. "It's like another skin."

"We might not be able to." Deke said, pulling the tray of equipment towards him. "You care to play nurse?" He asked his love, not sure how she'd handle that at all.

"Tell me what to do." Barbara said, all ice, while she and Deke gloved up.

"We have to pull the slug, debride the injury, and close him up when we're done, without causing more damage." Deke said, pulling a large bottle of sterile saline to his hand from across the room. "Gently pour, keep suction on it, and don't let anything pool."

"Done." Barbara said. She grabbed the suction nozzle and began doing just that, trickling the saline around the wound first and working her way in. While she did, Deke prepped an IV line. Their work was punctuated by several metallic tinks as Koa performed first aid on himself.

Not sure how to do anything about the suit, Deke tried tugging on it, but it seemed to only pinch his teammate. "Screw it." He said after only a second of trying. He couldn't waste time, so he used his powers to cut Fractal's suit. Unfortunately, it began trying to seal itself back. With a scowl, he made the same cutting motion and forcibly held it apart, leaving a v shaped split across his teammate's torso.

"Okay, we're good." He said, once he'd wrangled the suit, and began running the IV line. "Debride looks good, keep that up. Koa, get me A positive." He was glad he'd taken the time to learn his team's blood types.

"Got it." The pile of muscles called Koa said. He went to the cooler and began sorting bags, finally hitting on one labeled A positive. When he returned, a rather serious surprise greeted him.

"Hey, why's Fractal's chest taped up?" He asked, not sure what to do with the blood bag.

Deke took it and hung it. "Connect the lines but don't flip the blue lever, and who cares about why he's taped? Glove up and make yourself handy brah. Grab the wires with the blue stickies on them and put them where I tell you."

Koa shrugged and did as instructed. He then stepped back to watch as his brother, and his brother's love began working together. "Let's get this slug out." Deke said, grabbing the pan Koa had dropped over a dozen slugs into, and a new set of forceps. "Batgirl, keep suction on it please."

Where he was getting this confidence from, he had no idea. He'd learned to run an IV line when he was younger and basically living at his mom's hospital after school. He was running on pure guesswork as to the rest, hoping that if all else failed, he could run a banana bag and just use his psychometabolic powers to heal his teammate.

He dug carefully into the wound, gently feeling for the round, and once he felt the hard metal, he grabbed hold of the slug and began carefully withdrawing it. "Koa take over suction. Batgirl, can you take an X-ray?"

"Yeah," she said, pulling the appropriate equipment over and lining it up. "Over the wound, I assume?"

"You assume right." Deke said, waiting until the last possible moment to pat Koa's hand away. The machine made a quick clicking sound, and Barbara pulled it away to check the computer where the results would show. The upside to working in a base that the Justice League used to occupy was all the nifty tools. No film necessary.

"Nothing foreign, doesn't look like any bone damage." She said, putting on fresh gloves.

"Hells yes." Deke muttered, opening a scalpel and scissors. He needed to remove the damaged tissue from the wound to make sure it wouldn't get worse, and he was terrified. It must have been obvious too, because the next thing he heard was the sweet, calm voice of Barbara.

"I believe in you." She said, before putting the ice back into her veins. It was what he needed to hear. She was too smart to be wrong. Using his powers, Deke began observing the injury, seeing what tissue needed to go, and fortunately, it wasn't much. He just had to be extremely careful not to nick the subclavian artery, or it was game over.

Outside, the team stood by and watched. "I thought Cassie was getting Red?" Mal said, his eyes rived to the observation window.

"She did." The metallic baritone of Red Tornado replied from behind them. "But everything is under control. I will remain to observe, and will only intervene if necessary."

"I need internal and external stiches." Deke said in the infirmary, a sponge hovering independently in front of his forehead, daubing his sweat away. Batgirl turned, grabbed them from the correct drawer, and opened the package up, setting them on the small table. He grabbed two sets of foreceps, the needle, and the stiches, used his powers to thread the needle, and began going to work.

The stitching, he'd learned from his mother, who'd long ago taught him how to mend his own clothes. It wasn't until he was a little older that she'd told him it was the same stitch used to close a wound. Patiently, he worked, trying to stifle his nerves. He was too divided keeping Fractal's suit open, keep sweat from dripping, and do all the stitching without causing further damage that he wasn't able to just use his powers to shut off the appropriate systems in his own body.

After several minutes of this, he was finally able to switch to external stiches, sealing the wound up. He then flicked the switch to let the blood bag run, replacing what his teammate had lost. Once that was done, he stepped back, and looked at the monitor. "BP and heart rate look good. I need two migs of diazapine to keep him out for a while."

"Her." Godiva said from the door. She'd been there the whole time, out of the way and quiet. "To keep _her_ out for a while." She'd seen the bandages and tape on Fractal's chest, and knew exactly what it meant.

"Yeah, whatever." Deke muttered, too frazzled to process anything beyond medicine at the moment. Barbara filled the syringe, and fitted it to the connector, pushing two miligrams of the mild sedative.

"Okay, I monitor for now. Thank you both." Deke said, reaching for a chair to pull closer.

"No." Red Tornado said, entering the infirmary. "I will monitor. You will get rest."

"I can't release my grip on his suit or it'll seal up." Deke argued. Tornado just put a hand on Fractal's leg, and held it there a moment. Almost immediately, Deke felt the resistance on his grip release. "Or, yeah, sure, that." He said, and stumbled towards the door, making it as far as a trash can, which he filled with his dinner of Indian food, the spicy dish not so wonderful on the way up.

He felt his hair getting pulled out of the way. Giving a glance, he saw the symbol of the bat on the belt that circled his lover's slim hips, reminding him how much he loved her. A few more muscle contractions in his stomach and he was empty. Wiping his mouth, he stood up and leaned against Barbara. "Thanks" he muttered.

"You're welcome, follow me." She said, taking his hand and leading him out of the infirmary. She walked him towards the kitchen and sat him down at the table, joining him after she removed her cowl and replaced it with sunglasses.

"I'm proud of you." She said, smiling at him. "You're going to make an incredible doctor one day."

"Thanks." He said, gesturing at the fridge, and highly pleased to see coconut water in there. He beckoned it to his hand, and shut the door. "I'm still scared to death though."

"Don't be, you did great. Red Tornado didn't intervene until you were finished." Barbara said, her ocean blue eyes warm. "You saved your teammate's life."

"I guess so." He said, taking a swig of the coconut water. It was a hundred times healthier than any sports drink, and it was nice and cold, which calmed his stomach. "I just wish it was celebration instead of consolation." He added, referencing her earlier statement.

"It _is_ celebration Cowboy." Barbara said, putting a hand on his. "I was able to set up a crack and decryption on their security computers. They can't use that facility again, and we've got a lot more information. Fractal's going to live despite the best efforts of a rather dangerous man too. This is a win my lovely."

"I'll take it." Deke said. "But I should be back in there with Fractal."

"No, Tornado will just kick you out and you know it. If he needs you, he'll get you. Besides, at least a couple of the League are on their way." Barbara said in a tone that was somehow warm and firm at the same time. It was times like this that his name suited him, because she had to put a lead on him to make sure he didn't run off to do his own thing.

"Okay, you win." Deke said, getting to his feet. Barbara opened a cabinet and handed him a couple of protein bars, and then together they walked over to the living space in the cave. She almost got away with it, but he put his hand on her shoulder. "You got drilled." He said.

"I'll live too. No signs of concussion, just a bruised ego. Whoever that guy was, he was damn good." Barbara said, gingerly touching the knot the guy's elbow left on the back of her head.

"His name is Cole Cash, AKA Grifter, a mercenary." Batman's voice said from behind them. Startled, Deke whirled around to look at the Dark Knight. "He was the only person in the security files capable of what happened, and likely the person who shot you last night. Plus, fingerprint analysis confirms he was there."

"Great, someone else to contend with." Deke said with a scowl.

"Not likely. He used a low velocity round and aimed at the softest target he could hit." Batman said, still not moving, like some kind of shadowy statue. "And he used a rubber round on you. There's more at play."

"Son of a bitch. That's all I needed to hear." Deke said, finally just heading towards the sofa. He didn't work for Batman, so there was no reason to stand on formality.

"I have the data Batgirl was able to download. We'll be going over it. You're the first to know what we find out. Right now, get back to Gotham and get some rest." Batman ordered.

"I'm not leaving my teammate." Deke said. Barbara put a hand on his forearm, hoping to calm him before he said something he shouldn't.

"That's the right attitude, but you're not a doctor, yet. Fractal is in the best hands the League has. Hand over patient responsibility." Batman said, all stony calm, making it clear that he wasn't asking.

"Okay, fine, but I'm not leaving Mount Justice." Deke said, resigned to the fact that he wasn't winning this one.

"Why? He's not here anymore." Batman said, turning with a swish of his cape, and walking away. "He's being seen to by STAR Labs."

"This has been a frustrating day." Deke said, turning to look at his love. She gave him a warm look, stole a kiss from his cheek, and patted his leg.

"Welcome to working with Batman. Do you want to use the apartment again tonight? Tomorrow's Sunday, we don't have class or anything. We could have a very late dinner if you want." Barbara offered. Her boy had definitely emptied his stomach earlier.

"Yes I very much do," Deke said, coming up to his feet. "But I need to sit down with the team first. I got them dragged into this, I owe an apology." He drawled.

"Then let's do that, because I sorta owe it too. I was worried you'd go off the handle." Barbara said, feeling guilty at not telling him sooner.

"It was the smart thing to do. I almost did." Deke replied as they walked out of the living area and towards the Zeta stop.

"I know, I saw." Barbara replied. "But you reigned yourself in."

"I didn't want to." Deke said, and it was pure truth. He'd still be melting those guard's brains out through their ears if he had his way about things. Well, no, if he really was being honest, he wouldn't have. Their screams were still fresh in his ears and it was bad enough for the short period of time he'd done it.

"Doesn't matter, you still did it." Barbara replied.

"Thanks." He said, and rounded the corner to the Zeta stop. Koa, Godiva, and Daeva were all milling about there. Koa had also slapped some gauze bandages on his rather minor injuries, which made him look a certain kind of funny that nobody in their right mind would call him out on.

"So," Deke said, walking up to his team. "This is pretty much all my fault, and I owe an apology."

"No." Daeva said, her sunny demeanor having gone stormy. "That's rubbish. Ride or die. We rode, nobody died." The words sounded decidedly strange in her British accent, but their meaning wasn't lost.

"You'd do the same for us." Godiva said. "Both of you would." She added, and approached Barbara. "Koa's right. You're ohana too chick."

She awkwardly hugged Barbara, not sure how to contend with the cape. When Barbara tried to explain how she was complicit in the whole thing, Godiva shook her head. "Keep talking and I'm going to kiss you to shush you, and I bet you hate that."

Koa and Deke exchanged glances, the latter cocking an eyebrow at that, before they were both shoved by Daeva. "Really you two? I think it's time we headed out before you both lose all blood to your brains, if you haven't already."

One by one, the team headed off, Godiva waiting to confirm that she would still have the time to herself she required. When Deke agreed, she headed off too, leaving him and Barbara alone. They stood there a moment, before Barbara swatted at her boy's arm.

"What was that for?" He asked, glancing at her.

"You were thinking it." She said with a mysterious look, and keyed up the Zeta controls to get them recognized and back to Gotham. His perfectly stereotypical male response to Godiva's threat had made breaching the subject of something she'd been thinking about seem a lot easier now.


	16. Chapter 16 (Lemon Lime Soda)

October 17th  
Gotham City  
0010 EST

The pair slipped into the apartment under the cover of darkness. It took Deke no time to rid himself of his crimefighting costume, and he did so with all measure of haste. Just shucking a coat, hat, and glasses and he went from Mustang, little known superhero, to just another dude. In the time it took him to do this, Barbara had only just undone her cowl, so he went to her, took her hand, and walked her to their bedroom.

"Okay." She said with a bit of color rising. "I'll never tell you no."

"Glad to hear it." Deke said, using the hand he'd taken of hers like a puppet to work the biometric lock on her belt. It made a clicking sound, separated at the buckle, and almost hit the floor before he used his powers to catch it, and send it gently across the room.

Barbara relaxed into his touch, her hands naturally migrating to his hair as he worked to unfasten her costume. Each click, and snap, and zip brought her a greater measure of comfort, while the familiar feeling of his hands on her body brought a greater measure of arousal. That touch, it got her every time. Remembering the converse was true, she tangled her fingers in his hair and tugged, causing him to grip her waist for a moment while he steadied himself.

The torso armor came off, the almost corset-like construction making for easy removal if one knew the tricks to it, which he certainly did. She drew in a deep breath and made an ooh sound when he casually tossed the near bulletproof material across the room to lay with her belt. "Are you upset because of tonight?" she asked him when his hands found the seam between the upper and lower parts of her second skin.

"Yes I am." He drawled calmly into her ear, sliding his hands under her top and riding his palms up her sides, feeling the shiver in her body.

"Are you planning on taking it out on me?" She then asked, though it was perfectly clear she sounded more hopeful than worried. To punctuate the point, she nipped lightly at his earlobe, her ruby red lips a contrast to his skin.

"I am now that you suggest it." He said with a shudder, his jeans suddenly feeling two sizes too small. His hands worked their way around, under her costume, and gripped her breasts firmly. She drew in a sharp intake of breath and pulled his head closer to her, giving her a better opportunity to nip at his neck. She was perfectly happy letting him work out some aggression, but there was no way she wasn't giving some back too.

He made a low, throaty sound at the feeling of her teeth on his neck, squeezed her breasts more firmly, and then released them to take hold of the hem of her second skin top, pulling it off of her by sliding it up her body and arms. When she raised them to give him an easier time of things, he didn't pull the garment completely off. He stopped at her wrists and used the sleeves to wrap the whole thing around on her arms, leaving her bound.

"I might be in trouble here." She whispered as he nibbled down her neck and shoulders, stopping at her collarbone to nip back, and suck on her skin. It sent a shiver down her body, and coupled with the cool air, caused her nipples to harden almost painfully.

"Might be?" He asked, after leaving a nice little hickey on her. Even in the mood he was in, he wasn't about to mark her somewhere visible. It was between him and her, nobody else. She draped her bound arms around his head again, and almost giggled when he grabbed her bottom with both hands, easily lifting her up and onto the bed.

He came down with her, and felt her legs move to accommodate him. Working his way down, he stopped at her nipples, spending quite a while giving them attention. His grip was still quite firm, and Barbara found herself getting more aroused than usual, the inside of her lower second skin already slick. She whimpered and moaned at his ministrations, especially after he began grinding into her, the layers of material between their sexes entirely too many.

Eventually, he kept heading lower, his fingertips tracing along her sides firmly, causing the familiar goosebumps to rise on her skin. Because of the way he had to move himself, very little of their bodies were touching, making the emptiness a cruel torture to her, who craved that physical connection.

He slid a hand into the front of her lowers, and felt her rather considerable arousal. Barbara hissed in surprise as he touched her, his fingertip tracing a deep line across the slit of her entrance. "I'm going to wreck you tonight." He said, and it wasn't a threat. It wasn't apologetic. It was just a statement of fact. "But I'll stop if you ask." He added, reminding her he wasn't angry with her.

The fire in his voice turned her on further, but when he began manually working on her, his fingertip stimulating her without pretense, she began bucking almost immediately. He used three fingers to broaden his touch against her; she was way more than wet enough, the inside of her g-string soaked through completely before he'd even gotten a hand in there.

She moaned and squirmed as he played with her, her legs not quite cooperating with her, leaving her fidgeting. She felt her first orgasm building up on her quickly, but what sent her over the edge was the way he used his free hand to grasp the material still covering her legs, and yanked them down. Since she still had her boots on, they stopped mid-calf, leaving her at his mercy.

She climaxed loudly, as was her norm, though she struggled not to bother their neighbors by clenching her teeth. His hand slowed down, going from intent to almost casual petting, giving her a chance to breathe so she didn't get overwhelmed too quickly. While he did, his free hand undid the buckles on her boots. He wouldn't say anything about it in that moment, but he'd just plain forgotten she was still wearing them, and found they were in his way.

As her orgasm washed through her, Barbara felt much more relaxed. She'd been horribly stressed after what had happened, and if she was being honest, this is exactly what she needed to decompress. There were no two ways about, they weren't making love, she was outright getting fucked.

Deke tossed her boots aside, and went ahead and pulled the rest of the material off as well. He did leave her bottom half hanging off the edge of the bed, which puzzled her until scooted up against her again, returning that sense of proximity she wanted. He hadn't stopped rubbing her, he'd only slowed his pace down, but he picked back up again once her breathing regulated. The sudden shock and the very recent climax had her gearing up for another rather quickly, causing her to moan loudly in surprise.

She was able to keep it under control while he worked on her further, but when he slipped a finger within her, and began stroking her inner wall, she knew she was in trouble, the very intense and full body sensation already yanking her away to slam her into orgasm.

He loved the feeling of her sex on his hands. She felt like liquid silk in her arousal, and the way her muscles began rippling in the early stages of orgasm was both fascinating and pleasing. Knowing what he was doing to her though, he had to break out of his enjoyment of her body to roll on top of her, putting a hand under her head and pressing her face towards his shoulder.

By instinct, she latched on, biting hard as the much more powerful orgasm hit her, seeing stars from it. As expected, her body came loose, spurting a few times as she squealed into his skin. The pain was cathartic to him, and he encouraged it, not relenting his touch, instead pressing a bit more firmly. Barbara was in heaven already, but when he added a second finger to his attention, it got even more intense. She released again and her body began to twitch and squirm as she quite literally screamed around his shoulder.

Deciding it might be better not to accidentally kill her or something else unpleasant, he slowed down. When she let go with her teeth, a tiny trickle of blood covered her bottom lip and formed a thin rivulet down her chin, and how that was so damn hot he nearly let go in his pants was beyond him.

She panted quickly, trying in vain to collect herself. Her eyes were watering from the intensity of the situation, leaving her eye makeup smeared worse than it already was. She tried whimpering a request, but couldn't find the words. All she could do was just enjoy the ride, even as he slowly withdrew his fingers and scooted down to put himself on his knees on the floor between her legs.

In the dark of the bedroom, the streetlights casting strips of light juxtaposed with shadows across her bare body, Deke tasted her. He used his hands to push her legs apart, marveling at the ease in which he put her into a full split as he dove in, licking and sucking on her button.

The mix of sensations, going from full body to tightly focused, was driving Barbara mad with pleasure and frustration. Usually so kinetic, she couldn't handle her body being controlled, and so as he feasted upon her (which to be fair was an emotionally satisfying experience in being so appreciated) she struggled with the shirt still binding her wrists.

She was in no shape to think rationally, or clearly for that matter. His tongue and lips were working her over with gusto. He wasn't completely driving her towards another orgasm so quickly, letting her enjoy the ride a little more this time, but his hands were similarly not idle either. He collected her dew, using his pinkie to tickle and tease her insides as he pleased her, and when the telltale signs of her climax showed, he went on a whim and tried something new.

Barbara, already feeling like she'd been hit by a train, didn't know what to make of the small pressure on her bottom. She knew he was swirling around it, but it wasn't his tongue, that was still doing beautiful things to her button. In her addlepated state, it took her a moment to realize what he was trying to do. When she quite purposefully made no attempt to stop him, he continued on, pressing his smallest digit within her.

"Oh my God." She mewed, the taboo sensation both slightly painful and pleasurable in equal measure. He was careful with her, barely sinking in to the first knuckle, and listened as he kept licking her. It was too much though, too many sensations, and she couldn't hold back as another climax tore through her. She bucked again, accidentally taking the rest of his first knuckle into her bottom, and the sensation drove her further. "Deke, damnit Deke!" She cried out, finally just bringing her hands to her face to use the shirt to bite down on.

Again, he rode it out with her, and when it was over, he very carefully removed his pinkie from her bottom, causing an involuntary shiver and twitch from her. Again, not wanting to absolutely overwhelm her, he backed off completely, and stood up. "I can stop if you want." He said, though he was already undoing his belt and ditching his jeans to release his shaft. Whether it was to use on her, or to handle himself, was up to her.

"Fuck me." She demanded, her blue eyes wild behind the red tresses half covering her face. That trickle of blood was still there around her mouth and her makeup was quite smeared, which gave her an incredibly dangerous, feral look, and Barbara Gordon was at her most attractive when she looked dangerous.

He stepped towards her as her bottom still hung off the bed, stroked her opening with his tip, and sank into her in one hard thrust. Her back arched as she got what she wanted, feeling full from him. She wrapped her legs around his hips as he drove into her. When he grabbed the bundle of material around her wrists and pulled her up to face him, she had an idea of what he wanted, so she draped her arms around his head and got pulled up to a standing position with him.

He grasped her bottom as he bounced her against his body, slamming his shaft into her repeatedly. He walked her to the wall by the door, pushed her body up against it, and kept driving into her. She responded by nipping and biting at his neck, while her still bound hands were still frustrating her. The friction from the wall against her back was both uncomfortable but also very hot as she kept getting pressed and pushed up against it.

Before long, those wonderful muscle contractions began gripping his shaft, signaling her continued pleasure. He slammed even harder into her, bringing her into it hard. She bit down again, less hard than before, and muffled another scream as her body went into near convulsions. Deke played hell keeping hold of her, and decided enough was enough, laying her down on the bed as he rode her through her orgasm.

He slowed his pace then, and undid the accidental knot he'd tied in her top, tossing it aside and giving her her hands back. She wasted no time, wrapping her arms around him and digging in with her nails as he pumped into her.

He could have dulled his pleasure centers, but she was already looking extremely rough, and he didn't want stress relief to become abuse, so he kept at her naturally, working into her aggressively until she looked ready to pop again. Her nails might have been dug into him, but her noises had gone from more scream to whimper, so he found a pace, held to it, and rode along. She had two more, but they were smaller, less powerful, and on her third, she felt his body tensing as well. She whispered things into his ears, things so naughty she was shocked they came from her mouth, and it was enough to push him over as well.

This time, she locked her legs around his waist and pulled him into her. Barbara felt him pulse several times within her, and found it the perfect way to complete a climax, again more than grateful for the very powerful birth control she was on. They remained like this for a moment before her legs gave out, releasing him from her grip. He withdrew reluctantly, summoned a towel to his hand, and laid down beside her.

"I uh," He began, but she swatted at him lightly, shushing him. She took the towel he was offering, and carefully cleaned herself up, even the light touch from the fabric sending shivers through her too-sensitive sex.

They laid there, quiet in the dark, except for their breathing coming back to normal. "I promise not to do that frequently in the future." He said finally.

"Babe, please," She replied. "If you think for a minute I'm not going to come home one day and claim what's mine because I had a bad day, you're dead wrong."

Deke giggled at that. "I like how you worded that." He said. "Well put."

"Thank you." Barbara replied, rolling over. "And do you feel better now?"

He nodded. "A little. I'll be able to sleep tonight, that's what's important." What was more important to him in the moment was finally having some kind of control over events in his life, but there was no way to word that without it seeming out of place.

"It's the waking up tomorrow I'm worried about." Barbara said, still delicately trying to clean the mess they made of her sex. "I don't think I'm walking at all tomorrow."

"We got the day, might as well lounge." Deke said, nuzzling her neck, which drew a contented sigh from her.

"Look, can I talk to you about something?" Barbara asked, finally satisfied with her cleaning. "It's nothing bad or anything, though, it is of a more naughty nature."

"Yeah, always babe." He replied, rolling over to look at her. "What's up?"

"So, for the past few months, something's been kinda chewing at me, and I want your opinion on it. I really don't know how to say it though, so bear with me, okay?" When he nodded, she rolled over and continued. "I think I might be attracted to girls too, or at least, attracted to the idea."

"You uh, you had a hard time mentioning this?" He asked, puzzled.

"I didn't know how you'd react, and to be honest, I don't even know for sure myself if I really am." She said, not wanting to add annoyance to his plate, but this had been nagging her for a while, and his reaction earlier was an indication she could breach the subject.

"I mean, cool, whatever babe." He said honestly. "If you just up and take off on me I'm going to be a little put out, not gonna lie."

"No Cowboy, we have love, and you know I value that much more." Barbara said, kissing his nose. "You'd be okay with the idea of me maybe experimenting once, if an opportunity I'm comfortable with presents itself? If you don't like the idea, I totally understand, like I said, I'm perfectly happy with you."

"And live the rest of your life wondering? No babe. I can't have that. I will not be _that_ guy." He said. "And to be honest, it's pretty hot to think about."

"I figured you'd say that." She said, showing him the tip of her tongue. "Like I said, an opportunity may never present itself though, and if it doesn't, then whatever, that's on me, not you."

"Okay." Deke said with a shrug. "I'm not going to hold you back."

"Thank you for being understanding." Barbara said, hating that she had to get up. Especially hating it because getting up was extra painful.


	17. Chapter 17

October 17th  
Gotham City  
0900 EST

The incessant and annoying chiming of his phone is what woke Deke up. The dull October sky hadn't allowed much sunshine in, so his body wasn't quite on rhythm. He grabbed the thing, fidgeted with it, and set it aside, sitting up once he'd done so. He was alone in the bed, but sitting on Babs' pillow was a note folded into an origami bat. He picked it up, unfolded it, and read the words written in her rather elegant penmanship.

"Cowboy, Batman called me in at 8 this morning. I set your alarm for 9 for you. Meet me for lunch at BBB by the 'depot'? Just text me when you get a chance. I love you, BG."

He found it rather amusing that those two letters doubled for both her real initials and her alter ego as well. Of course, it hit him then, that Mustang and Marshall also doubled. Carefully refolding the note, he tucked it into the nightstand, and got up. The room smelled like aerosol deodorizer, and after their activities the night before, he could see why.

He stumbled to the shower, flipped the heater on, and handled the morning business as it got warm. He was decidedly sore in the man place, a side effect of his expression last night. The reason for that spawned a dull mood on him. He'd gotten more questions than answers, and Fractal almost paid the price for it. They all knew the risks going into it, but it didn't excuse his selfish crusade.

Stepping into the shower, he tried washing the problem away, or at least meditating on it. Something Nightwing had said once stuck with him. 'Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.' And damn if that wasn't the truth. Was it worth it? It wouldn't bring his mom back after all, and despite any satisfaction he might get from it, would living with the shame be a fair price? More than that, being that kind of man, wasn't the kind that deserved the love he had with Babs and his otra familia.

He still needed to see this through though, there was no doubt about that. It couldn't just hang. There were people willing to hurt others to keep the whole project quiet. That absolutely wouldn't stand.

Deke washed his hair and rinsed. He turned the water off, shook his hair out, and grabbed a towel. He dried quickly, tossed his clothes from last night back on, and went back to his dorm room. He changed into clean, seasonable clothes there, and caught up on some studying for a while after texting his beloved.

It chimed back around noon, with a simple message of 'see you there, ILY.' Which was good enough for him. His stomach had been grumbling something mighty after he'd spent a few hours last night resetting her body to heal her bruises from the night of the ball game, and he'd made the dumbass mistake of skipping breakfast.

Deke tossed on his regular coat, a plain leather jacket that he'd picked up in a thrift store for a steal, and headed out, taking the train to the stop near Big Belly Burger. On the ride, he sat quietly, skimming through his first year ethics book, though he did take a moment to chatter with another rider. Something he noticed about Gotham was that few people were willing to strike up a conversation, so when one presented itself, he took it.

Why Gothamites were so closed off was beyond him, and he could only figure it was due to big city syndrome, where there were so many people it was hard to share one another's burdens. He chalked it up to one more reason why he'd probably never be considered a proper Gothamite, and went on about his day.

He walked up to the Big Belly Burger and headed in. Seated away from the door, she saw him the moment he walked in, and flashed a smile so bright and sunny it drove the clouds from his sky. She still looked like she'd been in a fight though, and he got a disapproving look from another patron the moment he waved back.

"Hello beautiful!" He said cheerfully. She stood up from the booth and wrapped her arms around him, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Hello to you too!" She replied, still sunny and bright. "I thought you weren't going to show for a minute there."

"Train ran late." He muttered, waiting until she sat back down before taking his seat. "How was your morning?"

"Very productive." She said with emphasis. "And, I got news. Your friend is doing extremely well. He was released this morning in excellent shape."

Relief washed over him like a tidal wave, powerfully enough Barbara could feel it coming off of him. She giggled and offered him a drink of her milkshake. He sipped lightly so as not to be greedy. "That is the very best news I've gotten today."

"Maybe I can top it for you. I spoke to the boss and we reviewed the data I was working on. He's very hopeful we can dig the source code out of it all, and get those answers we were looking for. Apparently I hit a gold mine." She said, and glanced over his shoulder. "Waitress is coming."

Deke nodded, and waited. When she approached, she had a rather unfriendly attitude. "What can I get you?" she asked tersely.

"Two double bacon cheesebugers, battered fries, and a chocolate cherry shake please." Deke said in his most charming tone, trying to kill the woman with kindness.

"Sure." The waitress said, already walking off with a sour expression.

"I have a feeling people think I'm abusing you." Deke said with a frown.

"She already offered to get me in touch with the Gotham PD." Barbara said quietly. "I almost told her to wait until you came in so I could make you show her your back and shoulders, but I thought better of it. I said I fought MMA, but I don't think she believed me."

"I tried to help last night, but that shiner's persistent." Deke replied. "And uh, thanks for not asking me to, y'know, strip in the middle of big belly burger. I don't think I'll ever be that confident."

"Yeah you will." Barbara said, booping him on the nose. "But it's just as well. I bet more than a couple of people here might see my handiwork and consider it a challenge."

"Amusing attitude for someone who said we weren't property to one another." Deke said, absently folding a napkin into a rose.

"Property and possession are two separate things, I've decided, as long as there's a clear line of distinction. Plus, I can change my mind. It's not like you don't have different attitudes now than you did six months ago." Barbara said pointedly. "Last night comes to mind in fact. You used to treat me like a porcelain doll."

Deke turned bright red at that, which made Barbara giggle at him. "Okay, you win. Speaking of last night though, I was worried I went a bit far, y'know, with my hands." He said the last bit in an even lower tone than previous.

"Oh, _that_. I didn't tell you no, I," she blushed just as red as he did, her cheeks matching her hair. "I was kinda curious. Kinda fun, but not really my thing Still, now I know."

"Fair enough." He said, and turned to look at the waitress as she walked up.

"There you go." She said, dropping his food in front of him, and walking off.

"I'm about to kick her ass." Barbara said with a scowl, the angry expression on her face looking quite terrifying. "One for being a bitch, and two for effectively calling me a liar."

"I'm not the type to tell you what to do, but really, is it even remotely fair?" Deke said, checking his food for any additional ingredients. "It'd be like turning the cheat codes on. Besides, we both know it wasn't me, and we both know the person responsible probably had to get his jaw wired shut after you were done."

"Yeah, but still," Barbara began, and then thought about it. She'd give birth to a litter of cows if he tried White-Knighting for her, and that's effectively what she wanted to do. Really, assuming she was being called a liar was self-justification. "You know what, yeah. She just screwed herself out of a tip, that's all."

"I can agree with that, but, I've got one better." Deke said, getting a devilish look on his face. "Wait till I go up there and pay the tab."

"I was going to pay today." Barbara said. She'd sold another article she'd written and had just cashed the check on it, so she had the money to spare, and she knew he didn't really. She'd specifically told him not to max his financial aid the first semester because she knew he was in running for the scholarship, but it wouldn't kick in until the next semester.

"Nah, I got it, this'll be worth it." He said, and whipped his phone out. He searched through the store until he found the tap-to-pay app he was looking for, and set it to download. "Kill them with kindness and all."

"Well, until that moment comes," Barbara said, still running her toes up his calf. "I was talking to that gentleman you met the other night, and he was positively delighted at your reaction to his food. I don't think he knows what to do about having a fan."

"Whoever he is, he can cook circles around me, and I need to know how." Deke said, like some supervillain trying to learn the secrets of his nemesis. Barbara giggled at him for that, and signaled him to lean forward. When he obliged, she kissed him on the nose.

"You'd have better luck getting Zee's secrets from her." Barbara whispered, glancing at the French fry she was being offered. She took it with a delicate nibble, having had her fill of biting him after last night.

"So, you're doing the nightly thing tonight, right?" Deke asked, his hands busy with yet another napkin.

"I was going to, yeah. Why?" Barbara replied, looking at her boy.

"Can I join you? I don't have class until noon tomorrow." He said to her, but what he wanted to do, really _really_ wanted to do, was take her face in his hands, and kiss her until they passed out from lack of oxygen. Something in the way she was looking at him at that moment, totally unrelated to the world around them, just captured him.

"I don't see why not, that is, if you think you can keep up." And there was that devilish grin of hers. Damn but that girl just owned him without even trying. "You've got an ulterior motive though, so you have to tell me before I completely agree."

It was a fair request, no doubt about it. "So, I'm going to be working at this clinic starting at the beginning of the year. I'll be working under a Doctor Thompkins, who suggested I get to know Gotham better, and what better way to not only learn more about Gotham, but also help keep my workload down, than helping out?"

"Okay, I can accept that. I have to tell you though, the boss, he might not take too kindly to it. Every now and then, especially on the busier nights is one thing, but doing it on the regular might not sit well." Barbara said. Bruce didn't like having as many people doing his work in his city as he already did, and someone not fully connected to the family would be even less pleasing. He'd even asked Superman to keep his distance.

"His city, I get it, but he's outsourcing for Halloween anyway, I might as well have a leg up." Deke replied. He really couldn't blame Batman. The guy had worked extremely hard to clean things up in his city, and he wanted it done his way. "I'll back off if he asks." He added.

"Sounds good then. Find me in Old Gotham around eleven." She said, already planning on running him a merry chase if things were slow. "But, be careful, remember you can be tracked and we're still not sure if we've seen the last of those people."

"I'll behave." Deke drawled, and offered his beloved a bouquet of paper napkin roses. She blushed quite red and got a very shy expression on her face, a look he found absolutely adorable. He wanted desperately bad to take a picture of her, but common sense suggested otherwise.

"I love you, you silly flirt." Barbara said, holding onto her flowers like a victory bouquet.

"I love you too." He replied, popping his last fry into his mouth. "So, here goes." He added, and got up. He walked to the register where their waitress was waiting with the tab.

"So, I've got this tap to pay app but I don't know if I'm using it right." Deke drawled, still in his most charming Southern Boy tone. He showed the waitress his phone, conveniently forgetting to hit the on switch.

"Sorry," He said hastily, hitting the button to wake the device up. Right there, plain as day, was a picture of Barbara that he'd taken during a self-defense seminar she'd helped teach, sparring pads and all. He took his sweet time unlocking his phone, before showing the waitress the app. He could feel the mishmash of thoughts coming from her, and considered her confusion and self-annoyance a win.

"Yeah, you uh, you just hit the confirm button and tap it on the pin pad here." She said, shaking her head.

"Okay, cool, thanks." Deke replied, followed the instructions, and gave a twenty five percent tip. "Have a good day."

"Yeah, you too." The waitress said, not entirely sure what the hell was happening with her day.

Deke wandered over to Barbara, gave a small bow, and offered her his arm. With a warm look, she rose and took his arm, and the two of them wandered out of the burger joint. Outside, a bitter wind had picked up, channeled down between the buildings of Gotham. Deke pulled his love closer, wrapping an arm around her, and they headed to the train station.

They were on the steps to the platform when her phone went off. Frowning, she pulled it from her pocket and took a look. "I'm sorry Cowboy, I have to take this." She said, and stepped away.

He'd long since been accustomed to this. She was one of the rare few that he supposed he was now a part of as well. A protector and guardian, and she was good enough at it that her time was something of a premium.

She spoke for several minutes, and ended the call. Her expression was one of genuine puzzlement, a look she very rarely had. "Cowboy, you and I need to talk for a little bit, and I don't think it'd go over well on a train."

"Alright. Everything okay?" He asked, worried about her and whatever that call entailed.

"Yeah, it's just the most off-the-wall thing I've ever heard before." She said, walking back up to her boy and cuddling into him. "Looks like you and I aren't patrolling tonight. We're hunting someone."

"Is El Jefe going to be okay with me joining you?" He asked, walking along the sidewalk with her.

Barbara snickered. "El Jefe said you _needed_ to join me for this, but I don't know if I want to expose you to who we're looking for."

"You'd be a lot more worried if it was the Joker or Scarecrow, so who is it we're looking for exactly?" Deke drawled, his eye open for a coffee shop.

"That's a good _question_ , isn't it?" Barbara said cryptically.


	18. Chapter 18

October 17th  
Gotham City  
2027 EST

Restricting his use of flight was probably the worst idea Deke could have thought up for himself. He didn't want to draw any undue attention on himself from the clandestine lab, so he had resorted to rooftop jumping, using his powers to aid his leaps. He was grateful for the advanced insulation his long rider coat was made from, as the temperature had dropped dramatically once the sun had set, and it was already cold before that.

Touching down on the roof of an old tenement, the sound of his landing baffled by his telekinetic abilities, he paused to take a look around. Barbara had told him to meet her in Old Gotham, but she'd quite specifically not said where. He reached out, pushing his psychic senses out to their maximum, trying to catch a glimpse of her thought patterns. They were as unique as fingerprints, and hers were exceptionally familiar.

When he had no luck, he took off running again, launching himself into a mighty leap at the edge of the building. He soared a good distance, completely ignoring the next building, to alight upon a fire escape opposite it. If nothing else, this was remarkable practice for stealth techniques.

Of course, it helped when he also took the time to not be seen. His landing might have been preternaturally quiet thanks to his telekinetics muffling the wavelength of disturbed air, but when he came down to the metal fire escape in a crouch, he found himself looking face to face with a young boy who was staring out the window of his bedroom. The kid's eyes opened slowly at the sight of some random cowboy leaping across the city, not sure what to make of it.

On instinct, Deke raised a finger to his lips in a shushing motion, gave a crooked grin and a wave, and dashed up the stairs of the fire escape. A few more leaps and he was on top of the tallest building for several blocks, giving him an excellent opportunity to survey the Old Gotham neighborhood.

At one point, this was all Gotham was, an island sitting in the waters of the Delaware Bay. It had since spread much, _much_ further, covering a massive amount of area. Sure, it didn't have the real estate area of the five boroughs, but the population density was nearly the same. It meant a lot of people competing for limited resources, which in turn made for a lot of those people looking for less than legal ways of coming by it.

Like, for example, the pack of douchebags in the alleyway below. Looking down, Deke saw the five of them closing in on some nebbishy looking guy. A bag of groceries lay spilled in a puddle not far from where the hapless guy was trying to crawl away. Yeah, that wasn't going to fly.

Deke stepped off the side of the building, using his powers to arrest his fall. It reminded him just how useful Barbara's batarang lessons had been, especially when he landed silently right behind the crew of thugs. Since Gotham didn't really have the right tone for his usual dramatics, he chose to just fortify his body and do things the old fashioned way.

"Evenin' fellas." He said, surprising the lot of them. The moment the first one turned around, a green mohawked punk with infected looking prison tattoos, he swung, driving his knuckles into the chain wielding thug's face.

Yep, that definitely got their attention. Another, a bald man with tattoos on his head and neck, took a swing with a crowbar. He telegraphed it, bad enough that a non-psychic could anticipate it, so Deke just caught the weapon and tossed it aside before giving him a kick to the gut. When he bent over, Deke grabbed him by his leather jacket and tossed him into the side of a dumpster.

And there was the escalation of violence. One of the three, a female, presumably, though with the buzz cut and sheer amount of muscle it was hard to tell for certain, drew a knife. After getting his ass handed to him by the green haired woman in Monaco, Deke had very quickly dropped his conditioning about not hitting women, and sidestepped her slash, and brought his arm up over hers to chamber and release a nasty elbow to her face, that particular technique he'd picked up from Black Canary. He'd have to send her an email thanking her for it later.

A sudden sensation of elation tickled his senses. Reflexively, he put up a barrier just over his body, and when a bullet struck it, he was glad he did. He'd hoped to spare the dramatics, but he couldn't risk bystanders, so Deke grasped the firearm telekinetically and pushed the slide back, holding it there. He quickly dashed towards the punk to capitalize on his surprise, and rocked the man with a quick combo of punches, ending it by slinging him into the side of a building.

"Do you really want your turn?" Deke asked of the last one. "I'm happy to let you and all." He said invitingly. Apparently, the thug had other ideas. He turned tail and darted out of the alley as quick as he could, leaving the scene behind.

"Sir, you okay?" Deke asked, turning to check on the guy they were trying to mug. The man, a slightly older fellow in a conservative navy suit, took off his ruined glasses with a frown, polished them on his tie anyways, and put them back on.

"Yes, thank you. You're not Batman." He said, trying to gather his groceries. Deke made a gesture, and used his abilities to pick up the man's purchases and put them back in his bag. Well, all the stuff not currently laying in mud or dirt, or, whatever the hell else that was in the alley.

"Nope. Just in town for the evening. You're not hurt?" Deke asked, double checking. He leaned down, wrapped his hands in sheets of force, and picked up the pistol that the thug had dropped; Glock, and an old one, which made disassembly exceptionally easy. He went through the motions quickly while he observed the victim.

"No, just my pride. Thank you again." He said, and made his way out of the alley, the feeling of wanting to escape quite plain to Deke.

"Be safe sir." Deke said after the guy, feeling like a goober for letting the words come out of his mouth at all. Who in the world who didn't wear a blue suit with a red cape said that to people?

"Be safe sir?" He heard above him in a woman's voice. A woman's voice he was _intimately_ familiar with. "You're a dork."

[You love me for it.] Deke said to her telepathically, not wanting to risk one of the thugs hearing something he shouldn't, and taking it to jail with him.

[I do, very much so.] She replied, coming off the side of the building where she'd perched to watch the altercation. He'd almost caught her, though she wasn't trying her absolute hardest to keep hidden, not yet anyway. He was hell on wheels when it came to avalanches and other things similar, but this was her city and her game, so she had to scale it back a bit.

"Come to Gotham for the thuggery, stay for the verbal abuse." He muttered. "Don't suppose you've got some rope or something I could borrow?"

"You should always have some rope. It works for Charles Bronson." Batgirl said, landing lightly on her feet amidst the pile of punks. She gave one a swift kick to keep them put, and pulled some cord from her belt, tying them up in a manner so well practiced it was effectively muscle memory.

"I'll uh, keep that in mind." He said with a shrug. That sounded so familiar but he couldn't place it. He couldn't help but spare a sidelong glance at her bottom as she was bent over, putting the finishing touches on one of the thugs. Quickly, he banished the thoughts he was having, and kept an eye out.

"Okay, they're done. I called nine one one on one of their phones, Gotham PD will be by soon enough." She said, and launched a line into the air. It snagged firm and she used the high speed winch to get her going. Deke followed her by leaping to the top of a much shorter building, and used the nearby roofs to stairstep up, catching her back where he'd started.

"Couldn't bother to help?" Deke asked, tipping his hat to her.

"What, do my own light work? You're clearly not thinking straight Cowboy." Barbara said, leaning against the roof access building. "I've got a lead on who we're tracking down, by the way."

"That's well and good, but who exactly is it we're supposed to be tracking down?" Deke asked. She'd refused to tell him and it was driving him batty, and the moment the thought crossed his mind, he had himself an internal groan.

Barbara snickered, she was having way too much fun with this, though she'd done it specifically to keep his mind on an achievable goal, instead of dwelling. "He's called The Question. He's one of two people in this world Batman will readily admit is a better detective. He's also a bit of a, well, I think the best word is crackpot. He's a conspiracy theorist of the worst variety, but he can see patterns where nobody else can, and he's trustworthy."

"So, where do we find him?" Deke asked, reaching into his coat and pulling out a protein bar.

"The police have picked up a few people, left in convenient places, who keep talking about a guy in a suit with no face, which is The Question's trademark, and all of the arrests, as well as some other 'incidents' which line up with his MO, have happened in Old Gotham recently. They center about six blocks from here. We'll go when you finish your snack." Barbara said, taking a good long look at her boy.

He'd not gotten more than an occasional trim to his hair since they'd met, and it was hanging well past his shoulders. He'd also been cultivating a little bit of scruff as well. It wasn't so much her thing, but it was by no means a deal breaker, and it had grown on her a little bit. Still though, despite the way he now walked with his head up, dressed to flatter himself a little, and in generally carried himself with an honest measure of confidence, she still saw that wonderfully derpy boy behind all of it.

"Do I have a booger or something?" He asked with a full mouth, wiping at his nose when he caught her staring.

She sighed at him, shaking her head. "No, you don't have a booger." She deadpanned. "C'mon, we've still got a lot of work ahead of us."

* * *

 _Connections, like arc of electricity, binding the world in a tangled web. Moments of inspiration flashing in the bitter darkness of obfuscation and denial. One cannot perceive the source of the illumination, but one can use the light provided to bridge the gap between separation and union._

A rent-a-cop crumpled to the floor in a heap after he rushed the faceless man, tasting a classic right cross for his troubles. The Question returned to his work on the computer, ignoring the security guard for a moment. When the guard didn't stay down, he got back up and squared off on the guy.

 _Proper balance and footing. Forward lean in stance. No concern for dealing with faceless opponent. Trained, not rent-a-cop. Military contractor. Application of excessive force probably not necessary, but going to do it anyway._

"Dumb mistake weirdo." The security guard said, pulling a small curved knife out of its sheath at the small of his back. He spun the thing a couple of times on his finger with the ring at the end of the grip, and stepped in, going completely hostile in the blink of an eye.

A sidestep, two jabs, and an uppercut preceded a Thai clinch and several knees to the face. The guard's nose and teeth crunched messily at the treatment, but it wasn't over. The Thai clinch converted to an armbar, then a rapid twist, popping his shoulder out of socket. He didn't have time to scream before a well-polished and well-worn dress shoe came rushing to meet his face.

The Question, completely unfazed, returned once again to his work. Military contractors meant heavy security. Karambit knife indicated SEAL training. Three contractors in the area favored SEALS. Guard's accent placed him as New England native, though he'd buried most of it. Echo security, and if Echo was involved in this operation…

The computer pinged once he finally cracked the encryption. Lines and lines of data flashed before the eyes behind the mask, and all of it was alarming. Chemicals from Coast City, metal products from Pittsburg, and glass from West Virginia. Concentrations unnecessary in any sane manufacturing, and all of it was pointing directly to the KidsFirst toy company.

 _Always targeting children. Vile practice. Capture their attention early, hold it into adulthood, mold them, grow them like plants, and then send them off like laser guided munitions, assaulting the market, bombarding where and when directed, forced consuming to steer growth and development. Evil._

Once he had the data transferred to the small external hard drive he'd brought, The Question stood up and walked out of the building casually. Along the way, his path was littered with several groaning guards and one unlucky janitor in various states of beaten to a pulp. He climbed into his classic GTO, fired it up, and drove away.

On the roof of the building, two people watched him leave.

"So, we follow him?" Deke asked, still in the guise of Mustang.

"At a distance. Once he stops, he'll check the car for the tracker so we can't lag too far behind though. It's a tricky game." Batgirl said, prepping a line. She waited a bit longer, and launched it, beckoning her boy to follow.

He leaped off the building, still just amplifying himself with his powers to avoid being tracked. Hopefully, this Question guy would be able to give him the answers he was looking for, and he could go back to traveling his usual way, which reminded him, he needed to take some physics electives to better understand motion and airflow, so he could maybe learn to steer himself in flight a little better. The idea of it left a sour taste though. He was having a hard enough time with his core medical classes, and he'd had experience with those. He was just grateful he had a willing (and all-out amazing) tutor available.

They followed the GTO, keeping at least one block between them, for several miles. The Question seemed to be driving at random, taking turns and doubling back whenever the mood struck him. They wound up, after a few hours, on the other end of Gotham, before the car came to a stop.

Batgirl made a landing on a rooftop, joined shortly by Mustang. They crept to the edge and watched as the faceless hero parked his car near an abandoned building halfway through construction. It was one of Roland Dagget's projects, one he wouldn't be able to complete from prison, not after his assets were seized in the investigation.

"Okay, let's go." Batgirl said, and fired off another line. The Question heard it, and just stood there, waiting and watching. She soared out and around, letting line out to bring her to street level safely. The other person, someone he'd seen on the news once, just jumped, though his landing lacked the impact it should have.

"Batgirl." The Question said, his voice both creepy and cryptic sounding. "A pleasure."

"Q, it's nice to see you too." Batgirl said warmly, though her body language was cautious. "This is Mustang, we were wondering if you had a few minutes."

"Walk and talk with me, time waits for nobody." The Question said while covering his car with a tarp. "What do you need that Batman can't offer?"

"Answers." Mustang said. "We've got some data that isn't adding up. We, well okay, I was hoping you could clarify things."

"I'll keep a copy for myself, usual consult fee." The Question said. "So if there's anything sensitive, understand I will find it."

Mustang glanced at Batgirl, who returned his look with a patient expression "It's up to you. Batman trusts the Question with stuff like this."

"But he didn't trust me to introduce himself to me. I had to work that out on my own." The Question replied. "Like you. Appalachian accent, young voice, but you almost walk like a native Hawaiian. No firearms under the coat, which betrays the image you're projecting. Coupled with leaping from a building without concern, you've got telekinetic powers. If you're that young, with telekinetic powers, and your accent places you in a low income region, you're a victim of the Sigma group."

"Holy shit." Mustang muttered. The guy hadn't even seen the files and he'd guessed more of it than what he'd been given by the scientists.

"Now, if I could see those files?" The Question asked as he led them into the office trailer he'd appropriated for his own use. "I can tell you what's really going on."


	19. Chapter 19

October 18th  
Gotham City  
0143 EST

The Question poured through the files, and began cross referencing the information available with a massive amount of other data, from deep web sources that made even Batgirl cringe. Occasionally, he'd print something off, and pin it to a corkboard. Once he had a few things hanging, he'd run string between the pins.

"Uhm, are you sure General Mills had something to do with this?" Mustang asked, pointing to the very iconic logo hanging on the board.

"General Mills never has anything to do with things," The Question said, pausing his work. "Directly that is. Too big, too many people doing too many things."

Mustang mouthed a drawn out Oooookay at Batgirl, who was leaning against the wall watching the Question work. He patted the cushion of the small sofa next to him with an inviting look, but she shook her head.

"Go ahead, I'm just scratching the surface." The Question told her, putting another printout up onto the board, this one a picture of a cornfield. "This plot runs deep."

With a shrug, she sat down next to her boy. As the minutes turned to hours, she went from casually sitting to catnapping on him, and he was doing the same. Like a machine, the Question never stopped, one corkboard full of conspiracy turning into the whole trailer, with a web of strings crosscrossing the whole place.

Not long before sunup, the man with no face made a satisfied noise. Snapping awake, Batgirl brushed a red piece of yarn out of her way and observed the bizarre connections that had been made. "This can't be all connected to one thing." She commented, nudging Mustang awake.

"It isn't. This is evidence of something much much larger at play. Something demanding more of my attention. Take this file," He said, offering her an actual paper file folder. "Everything you need to know is in there. It will take you all the way to the top."

"Thank you." Mustang said, standing up. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. If you ever need a hand, look me up."

"In between hurricanes and tidal waves? Not necessary." The Question said, and just exited the trailer, simple as that.

"He's weird." Mustang said to Batgirl, who just gave an MmHm as she thumbed through the folder.

"You feel like taking on a small government agency?" She asked after a moment.

"I thought I already was." He said, offering her his hand. She took it and rose to her feet.

"No, not so much. Can you give me the trailer? I've got to make a call and I don't know how well it's going to be received." And of all the things she'd ever asked Bruce, this was going to be the scariest.

"Sure." Mustang said, exiting the trailer. Outside, the false dawn had brought a gray haze to the city. On a whim, he glanced up to the top of the half-finished building and decided to just go for it. He lifted himself slowly into the sky, just pushing against the ground until he rose to the altitude he wanted, stepping onto the girders at the top. He took a seat and just looked out over the bay, watching the orange arch begin forming.

A fait chuffing noise met his ears, and when he looked down, he saw a magnetic grappnel flying up a few feet away to connect near him. A few seconds later and he saw Batigrl sailing through the air in a flip around the girder, to land smoothly in a perch beside him.

"This is our first sunrise." She said, pulling her cowl back. "I'm kind of upset I never thought to drag you out before this."

"It pales before you, my love." He said, putting his arm around her once she got herself onto her bottom.

"Silly flirt." She replied warmly, nuzzling him a moment and stealing a kiss. "So, you and I need to catch a boat and soon, before it gets too much brighter out."

"Where to?" He asked, wondering why they needed to catch a boat at all. Was it something to do with the file they'd gotten?

"You'll see. Just follow me." She said, pulled her cowl on, and fired off another line. He followed her, leaping away, still hating he couldn't just up and fly around. He felt, well, hobbled, really. Fortunately, it wasn't that far. The southern waterfront, far from any real commercial or residential appeal, remained one of the few untouched pieces of shore in Gotham. Long ago people would bring their families here for a trip to the beach, but pollution and overcrowding had done away with that. Now, it was just another grim reminder of what the city used to be.

"Where's the boat?" Mustang asked as he stood on the empty shore with Batgirl. She smiled mysteriously and flicked a button on her belt. A few moments later, a black speedboat roared around the shore, moving frighteningly fast. It slowed quickly though, and pulled almost completely onto the beach.

"There's the boat." He muttered, and followed her towards it. The top hissed open, granting them entrance, and the couple climbed in. He wisely took the back seat, giving her the driver's. "I'm guessing this is his?"

"Yeah, his alright." Batgirl said, flicking a switch. The hatch closed with an audible series of clicks, and she put the thing into reverse, bringing them out into the bay. They traveled quietly for several minutes, Mustang marveling at the vehicle and the speed at which it moved.

"Okay, here's the fun part." Batgirl said, and flicked another switch. Mustang could feel a sudden shift in the vehicle's momentum, the boat bearing down into the water. Quickly, it rushed over the whole of the machine, and before long, they were completely submerged.

"It's a sub too, because of course it is." He said, taking his hat and glasses off and resting them in his lap. "How cool is this?"

"Babe, I still think this is cool and I've been in the thing dozens of times." Batgirl said with a smile in her voice. "Also, completely necessary. This is the only way to take you to the cave without black bagging you, or gassing you, neither of which I am willing to do to you."

"Well, thank you for that." Mustang replied, looking out the window, or trying to. It had gone completely black. He leaned forward and saw that Batgirl was navigating completely by instrument. Nothing about her was not cool, that's all there was to it. "How'd you get me home the other night, anyway?"

"The car, and yes, I mean _the_ car. You're heavy, by the way." She replied, turning around to show him the tip of her tongue.

"Shouldn't you be like, I dunno, steering?" He asked, worried she'd taken her eyes off the instruments.

"We're on auto-pilot for the last bit. Trust me, it's safer." She replied, going ahead and pulling her cowl completely off. "I guess I don't have to tell you how big of a deal this is, right? I had to argue left and right to get you in so you could be a part of the discussion over your own business."

"I'll behave, don't worry." He said, feeling the boat slash submarine move about, the general sensation being one of ascension. It seemed like they were almost to their destination. "Though, I really hope our bosses never get at cross odds or anything. I don't want us turning into a Romeo and Juliet thing."

"The odds of us becoming two star crossed lovers in fair Verona are slim to none Cowboy." Barbara replied, though the thought of the two of them being in a big stage production was hilarious in her own mind. It didn't help that she pictured her Juliet sitting in her room playing video games while his Romeo was calling to her in a ridiculously overblown hick accent.

"What are you giggling about?" Deke asked as the boat slowed down, ascending more than moving forward.

"Nothing, I'll tell you later. Game face time." She said, though she didn't replace her cowl, which indicated he didn't need hat or glasses. Since they were capable of recording, he just slipped them into his pocket for good measure.

When the hatch of the boat opened up, it let out into the Batcave. He'd seen the ceiling of the place from the flat of his back a few nights ago, so this was really his first time taking it in. Several levels branched off in the massive cavern. Equipment of various types filled each one, and while the levels weren't perfectly stacked, there was a certain kind of order to it all. The place wasn't dank, though it was chilly, and the occasional chitter of bats reminded him of where the owner of the place chose his name and imagery.

"How in the world did that giant penny get down here?" Deke asked, marveling at the massive thing. There was no visible entrance which would allow that thing a way in. Or the giant T-Rex not far from it.

"We don't ask about the penny." Barbara said, exiting the boat. "This way." She added, taking his hand once they'd both gotten out and onto the ground. She led him up a few flights of stairs, the industrial metal juxtaposing against the cold, natural stone.

At the top, seated in front of a positively massive computer, was the Batman. He turned in his chair and approached the two teenagers as they walked up. Barbara released her boy's hand and reached behind her, handing Batman the file folder. "Q's apparently never heard of flash drives."

"He doesn't trust them." Batman said in that same neutral tone, like nothing, or nobody could faze him. He motioned for the two to follow him, and together they walked towards a small meeting table off to the side on the top tier. Batman sat down and laid the files out, face down. The table whirred to life, scanning each page and converting it to digital format, before throwing the images up as holograms.

"The Sigma group. This confirms their existence. They were rumored to be a blacked out government think tank, started in the mid nineteen nineties. Little was ever said about them among those who were aware of their existence, and after two thousand six, nothing else was ever mentioned at all. My sources say they belonged to a parent organization called Checkmate, and again, the Question was able to confirm this."

"The project, detailed here," Batman said, touching one of the file pages and expanding it. "Was known as Fulcrum." He took the time to read things over, as did the other two. "Apparently, much like Cadmus, they were in the business of building heroes. Unlike Cadmus, it looks like their oversight was more committed to doing their job, and these budgetary reports indicate they didn't have much money to work with, when you consider what a project like this would cost."

Barbara had pulled up another page, and was pouring over it. "It looks like most of their money went into research, both on technique as well as subjects. When you compile this with the information on the drive we were given by the scientists, it looks like funding got cut pretty hard a few years ago."

"Right around the time Cadmus began getting more and more government money." Batman said. "Sigma shouldn't even be operating anymore."

"They didn't seem to be." Deke said, finally piping up. "Just some low-rent security and one badass merc at their home office, and a bunch of guys with rifles the other night. Those choppers and the capture team were the only ones with really specialized gear, and even they didn't really know what they were doing with it."

"Like they were shown how to find you, and told to go nab you." Barbara said. "No real preparation."

"It's because somebody wanted to make it public. They wiped their budget out completely and made a huge mistake doing it, and it looks like Cadmus was the one responsible. There's financial records which seem to tie them to the Fulcrum project as well." Batman said, his eyes narrowing. "Though the techniques used to empower people weren't genetic in nature, they were experimenting with pulse radiation on specific frequencies. Their target criteria was extremely specific too. Out of several thousand candidates, only sixteen were selected to undergo the treatment. Mustang, obviously you're one of them. Fractal was another."

Deke frowned at that. He'd hit the worst lottery imaginable, and so had his brother. Something else was bugging him though, and he brought it up. "The two scientists, they seemed more worried about what I'd do to that team that got sent, than what that team would do to me, but it wasn't exactly a walk in the park, and I don't see anything in here about expecting me to have gotten training somewhere."

"That's my fault." Batman said. When Deke and Barbara looked at him, Deke's expression not too pleasant, he elaborated. "Historically, we've had a lot of trouble with psychics. You were interested in doing good with your abilities, but with such a great potential for things to go sideways, I specifically instructed Batgirl to help you hone natural skills over your abilities. One, this kept your development measurable, and checked, and two, it helped you develop useful skills, the kinds of things powered people take for granted. Captain Atom agreed with my course of training, and suggested to the other mentors to do the same."

"Can I take a minute to process this?" Deke said, not perfectly certain how he felt about it. He was quite certain he knew how Babs felt about it. She'd been lied to by omission, and it wasn't the first time. She was furious, and he could feel it all but burning him.

"We'll talk tonight." Barbara said, standing up and pacing by the table. She wanted to raise her voice, express her anger and disappointment, but she knew it was counterproductive. She just had to work her emotional state out until her logical side won, so she walked towards a set of parallel bars and began running a routine on them.

"So, Batgirl said something about taking on a government agency. Was she talking about Checkmate?" Deke asked finally. At the end of the day, he didn't appreciate being lied to either, but it wasn't going to do any good to get pissed about it. He'd already made his peace with things, it was just a matter of seeing it through to the end.

"She was, but you won't be taking them on. Despite their practices, Checkmate is a legitimate government organization. You don't just knock down the door. This is a League matter now." Batman said, also standing up. Deke rose with him, and pushed his chair in.

"I was worried you were gonna say that. So, what, am I grounded until the League gets around to handling this?" Deke asked with a frown.

"No, just don't fly to and from where you choose to sleep. Their ability to track you might have been localized to Sigma, which is all but shut down now, and if Cadmus wanted you, they have plenty of other ways to find you. You and Fractal will be alerted to further developments. Batgirl will take you out the way you came in." And just like that, he walked away, leaving Deke to his thoughts.

"You get used to it." Barbara said, wiping her brow with a towel. "Tell me if you're planning something stupid, please."

"Don't know yet." Deke said, leaning against the table. "I mean, it's not getting me anywhere either way. It's a victory that he said Kristof and I are getting updated, and speaking of, I need to go see him."

"Do you want me to stay here?" Barbara asked, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze.

"I want you to do what you want babe." Deke replied, walking down the stairs with her. "If you're with me it's because you want to be, not because I'm dragging you. The amount of turbulence I'm generating is getting bad enough already."

"Okay." Barbara replied warmly. "How about I sneak in after my patrol? Catch some good sleep tonight, or, maybe not sleep at all?" She added, tracing shapes on his chest with her fingernail.

"You're good at this, you know that right?" Deke said, offering her a hand into the Batboat, it was probably called the Batboat. "How am I supposed to move back into my own head?"

"You're not, and neither am I. We're moving in together instead, remember?" She said, taking his hand and stepping into the boat.

"Yeah, that sounds better anyway." Deke said, climbing in after her.


	20. Chapter 20

October 18th  
Central City  
1833 CST

"Recognize Mustang E Zero Three." The computer called out, and it struck Deke just how much the computer sounded like a digital version of Babs' friend Artemis. It had to be a coincidence, but it was a strange coincidence indeed. Deciding not to dwell on it, Deke stepped out of the Zeta stop, concealed here as a literal hole in the wall. The bricks slid open on the false side of the building, letting him out into a small alcove between two short offices.

Stepping out onto the sidewalk, the last bit of sunshine was still illuminating the big Midwestern city. It was marginally warmer here, without the cold Atlantic winds Gotham experienced, which was a welcome change.

Deke pulled his phone from his pocket, checked his contacts list, and then headed towards a place called Central Perk. He assumed it was a coffee shop, well, more he hoped it was. He'd tranced out a couple of hours in his dorm room, but it wasn't an excuse for real sleep. After his night and morning, and his day full of classes, he was wiped.

Walking in, his nose was greeted with the smells of coffee and baked goods. Glad he was right, he took a seat in the corner to warm up a bit, and began mapping his route to Fractal's home here in Central City.

"Can we get you anything?" a perky Asian girl asked, walking up to him with an order pad in hand. He'd been so engrossed in what he was doing he hadn't noticed her.

"Yeah, sure. What's awesome here," Deke asked, setting his phone down. "Jenn?" he asked, reading her nametag.

"We do a killer caramel macchiato, and the crullers are fresh." She said, all bright and sunshiny. She reminded Deke of Aasha with that bright disposition, and if he was being honest, it was something he could use at the moment.

"All of those things please." He said, her friendliness infectious.

"So, how about the special? Two crullers and a large. It'd save you a lot of money compared to buying all of our donuts. They add up quick." She said, writing his order down.

"Okay, I'm convinced." Deke said, and watched her leave. Once she'd gotten back behind the counter, he picked his phone back up and shot Kristof a text, something he really should have done before taking the Zeta to Central City.

While he waited on a reply, he watched the news on one of the tv's in the corners. He'd gotten so used to Gotham news reports, all grim and bleak, that when the major headline for the day here in Central City wasn't some shooting that left dozens dead, he was almost unsure what to do. Batman might have cleaned up the worst of Gotham, but his job was by no means finished yet.

His phone chimed a moment later. Looking at it, he saw Kristof's reply, telling him he was indeed welcome to come over for a visit. Deke told him he'd be there shortly, and went back to the news.

He was interrupted again a few minutes later, his server setting a small plate and a large cup in front of him. "Enjoy, and let me know how you liked them. Maybe here in a half hour after I get off work?"

Deke swallowed in surprise. "Oh, uhm, I uh," he fumbled, trying to explain himself.

It didn't seem to faze her. "Got somebody? That's cool, it never hurts to try though. You can pay up front when you're done." She said, never dropping that perky attitude.

It was absolutely something he could learn a lesson from. Two things, actually. There was no real reason to let himself get so buried in his woes, or locked in his own head again. Also, being afraid of the results of an action were indeed a surefire way to wreck himself. He pondered it as he sipped what turned out to be an incredible macchiato. He was not being lied to.

After finishing some pretty wonderful honey crullers, he paid up, left a decent tip as a thank you, and headed out. After taking stock of his funds, he realized he should have done it before buying coffee and donuts, because he was hoofing it across town instead of getting a cab like a smart person would have. If nothing else, it told him he needed to hit the Mercado on Friday and do some more work, otherwise he wasn't going to be eating for a while.

The walk was good though, in the fading light. Central City was a calm place, despite its size. People walked the streets without fear, which was a lot like Metropolis. Both cities had guardians who could get to a trouble spot in a small handful of seconds. What was there to worry about?

His phone chimed as he walked. Taking it from his pocket, he opened it up and immediately flushed red. Babs had sent him a picture, a very nice one. She didn't send nudes, which he could absolutely understand, but she had an excellent handle on tastefully and artistically racy. "Dios mio." He muttered, trying to find words to reply with.

He finally hit send on a message that began by repeating Dios mio, and ended with looking forward to seeing her later. That girl could stir him up a thousand different ways, and it reminded him just how lucky he really was.

It was almost nine when he made it to Kristof's home. A tall apartment building in a pretty decent section of town, it spoke of Middle Class Americana. Surprised to see there wasn't a buzzer, Deke entered the building and climbed the stairs to the seventh floor. He knocked at the door to Seven A, and waited.

After a moment, the door opened. A rather striking blonde woman answered, dressed like she was ready to go clubbing at a moment's notice. "Can I help you?" She asked, her words a bit more strongly accented than Kristof's.

"Yes ma'am, I'm a friend of Kristof's, I was in the neighborhood and I wanted to say hello if that'd be okay?" Deke asked, not sure he wanted to put his charm on. He was having a hard time getting a read on what appeared to be Kristof's mom.

"Yes, of course." She said, and it got easier to read her. "Kristen, there's a boy to see you." She yelled back into the apartment, and it was plain she wasn't the happiest about something.

When Fractal answered the door, Deke could see why. A person he'd come to call his brother, despite now knowing how that particular brother was plumbed, answered the door in a simple green ankle length dress, and looked absolutely miserable. Kris and his mother exchanged words in German, only a couple of them Deke could make out (Fractal had tried teaching the team, since multilingualism never hurt anyone), though he did catch something about going out.

Finally, Kristof's mother grabbed a purse and walked out of the apartment in a huff. "Come in." Kristof said, looking less than awesome.

"You alright bro?" Deke asked. He noticed the bandage on Kristof's shoulder, though it was clean.

"I'm forced to dress like this at home. After her, well, it doesn't matter, my mother had just become very irrational. Are you hungry?" He asked, walking into the kitchen.

"I just had some coffee and donuts at a place called Central Perk, but thanks." Deke said, sitting at the kitchen table with his teammate. "How's your shoulder?"

Kristof peeled the gauze and tape away, revealing the wound. It was still red around the edges, but the swelling was way down. "The Doctors at STAR Labs were quite impressed with your work actually, once I told them you were a med student and not a trauma surgeon. Thank you, by the way, for that."

"Ride or die bro, ride or die." Deke said, shifting his perception and making sure there were no underlying problems needing addressed.

"You still call me that, knowing the truth?" Kristof asked, replacing the bandage and getting a bottle of soda from the fridge.

"If you'd introduced yourself to me as a Nigerian immigrant to Hong Kong, that's what I'd call you." Deke said with a shrug. "You think any of us have the most typical upbringing anyway? Aasha was conceived through sorcery, Liho's family calls him a monster, and Maddy, well, who knows with her?"

"Thank you." Kristof said. "How is the team, speaking of them?"

"Good. We've been defaulting to Aasha for things, though we're on a good schedule right now. How much longer till you're up and running?"

"A couple of days, which happened to coincide with my time off." He said with a shrug. "Did we get good news after the raid, by the way?"

"We got news, not sure if it's good or not, but we got it. Apparently, the League is taking the investigation over, but since we're both products of the whole thing, I thought I should bring you this." Deke said, digging into his pocket for a flash drive. He handed it over, and Kristof just looked at it a moment.

"Join me in my room while I look this over?" He asked, already standing up. It was clear he was going to start reading whether Deke followed him or not, so, Deke did in fact follow him.

Kristof's room was a startling separation from the man who occupied it. Posters of metal and industrial bands covered the walls, many of which had difficult to pronounce names. There were also toy Starfighters hanging by fishing line from the ceiling, in a diorama of a battle, while the ceiling itself was painted deep blue, and speckled with stars and nebula. This was not what Deke expected at all.

Kristof leaned over, plugged the drive into his rather epic looking computer, and then grabbed clothing off the bed. He excused himself a moment, and returned in jeans, tee shirt, and taped down.

"Much better." He said, and motioned towards the bed. "Have a seat if you'd like."

Deke sat down and looked over Kristof's shoulder as he poured over the data on the flash drive. "So, we're subjects Ten and Eleven?"

"Yep. That's us, subjectively speaking." Deke replied.

"Is this serious?" Kristof said, pointing to a string of what appeared to be medical coding.

"I dunno what the hell that meant to be honest. I kinda forgot to ask." Deke said, still unable to make heads or tails of the string of characters.

Kristof opened a browser, and did a quick search. Once his theory was confirmed, he shook his head, laughing almost tragically. "They planned to breed the two of us."

"Yeah, that wasn't gonna go over well." Deke said, the very idea repulsive to him. Making two people breed? That was just plain messed up no matter how you looked at it. "Just not so much my type."

"What? Redheaded athlete with some bounce and curve? I imagine that's probably a lot of people's type. I don't mind. What I do mind is this. There's more of us out there." He said, pointing out the series of file references they didn't have access to.

"I know. It's bugging me too. Something Batgirl said once stuck with me though. Batman did this computer simulation that said there's probably like three hundred thousand people with powers and just don't use them for anything at all. Maybe even subtle stuff they don't realize they're doing. If we're both psychic, it means the rest probably are too."

"It's a reasonable assumption to make, but we shouldn't just assume either. We might have been part of a batch intended to manifest psychic phenomenon. Remember, I got infected with nanites, so there's a chance that others intended for one thing are showing other abilities, based on unknown factors." Kristof said, turning in his chair.

"Shit," Deke said, his drawl drawing the profanity out into several syllables. "Yeah, what you said."

"Schiesse is right." Kristof said, checking a chirp on his phone. "My father is returning home sooner than expected. I'm sorry, but I have to ask you to take off before he arrives. I'll go over this as well and keep in touch, and again, I'm sorry about this."

"No man, it's cool. I'll head out the window. Before I bounce though, if things get too hot here for your comfort, I've got a house in Kentucky I'm not using, you're welcome to stay there as long as you want." Deke said, sliding the window open while Kristof grabbed his dress, turning his back and shucking his shirt before Deke had even gotten out.

"Thank you!" He called back, pulling the dress over and tossing the taped bandages, quite uncomfortably too, as he had to do so quickly. "I will call you! Tschuss!"

Deke leapt out the window, grateful it faced another building, and launched himself into the air, bringing himself to a landing on the roof of the neighboring apartments. When a chilly wind hit him, he remembered he'd left his coat in Fractal's room, and had to lean over the side of the roof to spot it, before making a gesture, which yanked it out the still open window.

From there, it was back to Gotham, only this time, he wasn't taking the Zeta. He hadn't flown in a good long while and he wanted to stretch himself out a little. Using his smartwatch and the apps he'd been given, he checked his flight path, which also transmitted that data to the United States Air Force to let them know he was in flight, and to not scramble fighters.

Once satisfied, he climbed to a safe altitude, planed himself out, adjusted the telekinetic field around his body, and just went for it. He wasn't sure how long he could do it, but instead of gunning at a marathon pace, he pushed into a sprint. In no time, the air around him distorted, the pressure generated causing a sonic boom.

Sweat formed on his brow after a minute or so of shoving himself as fast as he could possibly go, so he slowed himself down, back to his regular pace. Still supersonic, but not pushing hypersonic, speaking hopefully. He wouldn't know until he got the numbers. He recuperated a bit while he flew as well, so he bounced back into sprinting again, over what he thought was Indiana, and kept that pace up.

He arrived in Gotham, thoroughly exhausted, about fifteen minutes or so after leaving Central City. Given the amount of time it had taken to get to the Zeta stop in Gotham, it was looking like flying was becoming the way to travel when he was alone. Of course, that also meant a lot more running to build endurance, which brought a sour look to his face.

Like usual, he let himself freefall into the city, arresting his momentum right over the roof of Wayne Towers, the tallest building in town. He took a minute to relax, sitting against the roof access which led to the empty helicopter pad, and texted Barbara. He didn't expect a response for a while, but he wanted to let her know he was back in town. Of course, he saw that picture she'd sent again, and if he wasn't so wiped out, he would have taken a minute to do some 'self-maintenance'.

He downed the protein bars he always traveled with, and took off, leaping and gliding across the city to get back to the college. He had to touch down a few blocks away and walk the rest, landing in a small park that mercifully seemed quiet. He was far too tired, and not dressed for crimefighting, still in his thrift store leather jacket and street clothes.


	21. Chapter 21

October 19th  
Gotham City  
0135 EST

Barbara slipped past the RA in her boy's dorm without even trying. It might have been because it was a boy's dorm, and the RA was less motivated to keep girls out, than the other way around. It was a double standard, but at the moment, it was beneficial.

She ducked into his room and shut the door behind her quietly. She could hear his breathing, soft and shallow, and it was clear he was asleep. She flirted with the idea of waking him up in the most 'friendly' manner possible, but decided to save that for a day where they didn't both have class bright and early the next morning. Besides, she was still a little sore at being handled so roughly the other night, despite enjoying every second of it.

Instead, she ditched her socks and shoes, sweatpants and bra, and curled up against her boy. He smelled of his soap and shampoo, a comforting scent to her. Reflexively, his arm found her and pulled her against him, so she nuzzled into him, enjoying the contact.

After the argument she'd had with Bruce, which had almost resulted in her getting benched just to cool off, she needed it. He had, again, withheld things, and had also used her to effectively stunt her boy's development. Yeah, he was picking up useful skills, but it shouldn't have been at the expense of his powers, or worse, at the expense of her integrity. She detested not being trusted, and was beginning to understand Dick's reasoning for starting to break away to do his own thing. She feared Tim would do the same, but he'd joined because Batman needed a Robin, so the odds of it were slim. If it did happen though, it would be a horrible mess.

Her patrol had been cathartic though. She'd caught Ivy, almost completely by accident, trying to rob a facility which housed some kind of state of the art fertilizer that LexCorp of all people were developing. That robbery had been nipped in the bud, and apparently, she'd spent too long talking to the Flash, because that was horrible the moment she'd thought it.

She was almost asleep when she felt Deke's body shifting, Surprised, she propped herself up on her arm and hip and watched as he fussed for a moment, but she had to clear the small twin bed quickly when his fussing turned into thrashing. He was muttering something unintelligible amidst distressed moans, and he grabbed his pillow, locking it into a choke hold, which, if she was being objective, was one she'd taught him.

She was going to let him ride it out, no stranger to foul dreams, but when his bedside lamp, cell phone, and the laundry on the floor began twitching, she had to do something. "Deke, babe." She said, patting his arm defensively. "You're having a nightmare Cowboy, it's okay."

His eyes flew open, and for a moment, murderous intent was etched into them. She backed off quickly, hoping she wouldn't have to defend herself against the man she loved. He held that expression a moment longer, but it softened around the same time the objects around him settled back into stillness.

When he saw her in a defensive stance, with an icy calm on her face, he realized what had happened. "My God, I'm sorry. Did I swing at you or anything?" He asked, immediately terrified.

"No baby, but I think that pillow will never mess with you again." Barbara said, sitting down next to him. She pulled him to her and held on, happily returning the favor he'd shown her. "What were you dreaming about?"

He took a deep breath and wrapped an arm around her, filling his nose with her wildflower perfume. "I was a puppet or something. People told me to do things and I just did them, like a weapon. I kept trying to refuse, but I couldn't, like my body wasn't mine anymore. I had to hurt people. My mom, otra mami, my team, and you." He said, fighting an errant tear away. The mental picture was burnt into his mind, of him being ordered to rip her apart, and his inability to do anything about it.

"It's okay now," Barbara said, clutching tightly to him. "Just dreams, they can't hurt you. They feel real in the moment but I'm here, you didn't hurt me."

"Thank God." He muttered into her shirt. He gripped her tightly, and pulled her back down to the bed with him, trying to hold every part of her against him. She snuggled into him and put her hands on his, clutching tightly.

"If I made a call tomorrow to have you meet with someone to talk about this, would that be going too far?" She asked, trying not to be tickled by his nose nuzzling into her neck.

"No, but it's just a dream babe, you said it yourself, it ain't real. Or, are you worried I'm gonna go nuts or something and do some damage?" He asked, getting lost in her hair.

Busted. "Not exactly. I don't think you'd hurt anyone, but it might not do your private life, or your education any favors if it happens again and on a bigger scale."

"Only because it's you." He muttered, using his powers to force his fight or flight back down. "Think I could get some more incentive though?" He asked with a snicker in his voice. He was by no means in the mood at the moment, but trying to laugh the experience away might help.

"Boys." Barbara said, exasperated. "I tell you what, you do this tomorrow evening, and the person you're meeting says you're absolutely cooperative and forthcoming, then I will give you some incentive." She said this with a bit of wiggle in her bottom, pushing up against him.

"I wasn't being serious, but okay, deal." He said, nipping lightly on her shoulder. "Make the call and I'll make the meeting."

October 19th  
Destin Florida  
1800 CST

Deke was sitting on the couch in the hacienda, fresh out of the shower. He'd flown down, and had pushed himself again, exceptionally hard, meaning he was once again sweat soaked by the time he landed. Babs hadn't told him who he was meeting, so when the Zeta tube spoke up, he was a little surprised.

"Recognize Black Canary A One Three."

Why in the world did Babs bother Black Canary? "Hello Mustang." She said, walking to the living space and taking a seat opposite him. "Batgirl said you'd feel more comfortable here."

"Yes'm, Mount Justice is someone else's place." Deke said with a shrug. "But if she'd said she was calling you, I could have waited or something else."

"I'm a licensed therapist in my off time, and as a member of the League, I know enough that we can speak plainly. I was the best choice for her to make." Canary said calmly. "She said you were experiencing nightmares, after never showing evidence of them before."

Direct, he couldn't hate that. "That's right. All the recent news has had me twisted up I guess. I thought I'd let it go, but I reckon not. I suppose Batman has you up to speed?"

"No, Barbara does. She's worried about you so she gave me everything she thought might be pertinent." Canary said, getting comfortable on the sofa. She saw an empty takeout container sitting on the coffee table between them, with remnants of Chinese food, and an open guitar case sitting by his sofa. He wasn't in costume either, instead a plain shirt and jeans. These things spoke to her, telling her he was feeling uncomfortable in his role, and showing some lack of motivation.

"Like, what all did she tell you?" He asked too quickly, his face flushing red.

"Only what pertained to your recent activities with the Sigma group. The personal details between the two of you remain exactly that, personal. Unless you feel like your relationship to her is a contributing factor." Canary said, reading the embarrassment on his face. It didn't take much to put two and two together, but it also didn't take much to know she didn't need to bring that up.

"Oh, no, not really. She's probably the only thing keeping me sane at the moment." Deke said, making a gesture towards the fridge. A pair of water bottles came to his hands, one of which he offered the more experienced hero.

"Thank you." Canary said, setting the bottle aside. "Can you expand on what you meant by feeling sane? I'm not assuming you're crazy, but it seems like you might be assuming it." She added, trying to put him at ease.

"Well, I mean, my life was all cattywampus after I lost mom and moved to Gotham, and then I met her, and suddenly, boom, I'm superheroing, doing productive, good things. I thought I was getting some direction too. Awesome girlfriend, awesome scholarship in an awesome school, I've got friends, and I kinda stopped caring about how I got my powers, and I was more concerned about just using them right." He said, opening his water bottle and taking a drink.

Canary nodded and steepled her fingers. "Go on please."

"Okay, well, all of a sudden, I've got answers to questions I stopped worrying about, and for the first time, I felt powerful enough to do something about it. I'm sure you get that. But, when I went to do something about it, all of a sudden my friend gets hurt, and I'm left, if you'll pardon the expression, holding my junk while the League takes over the investigation." Deke said, glancing anywhere but at Black Canary.

"So, if I get you right, you're upset that you can't finish what got started, and you're angry about it?" She asked, finally opening her bottle of water to take a drink. "And since you were having a nightmare about being a weapon, you're concerned about your place in the world?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Deke said with a shrug. "I just kinda feel like I'm in the wind or something."

Canary nodded. "I saw similar problems with members of the other team. It's not uncommon. At your age, your hormones aren't helping you any either. You can't rule out biology. Can I give you some advice?"

"Sure, you're the smart one here." Deke said.

"You need to work some of this off in a productive manner. Healthy expressions of negative emotions can purge them, and it also serves to wear you out so you can sleep better at night." She said, remembering the problems she herself had experienced not that long ago.

She saw him flush bright red again, and he fumbled around his words before he finally spat out what he was thinking. "I kinda don't like being that guy, it's not fair to, uhm, well, oh never mind please."

And that's what he thought she meant. Of course it was. "I more meant exercise and activity, but you bring up an excellent point. Barbara is there for you, and she's a smart woman. Talk to her. I know her well enough to say if she's accepted you into her life, she's going to accept you on your worst days too. Use the chance to communicate to bring you both closer."

"Okay, I can do that." Deke nodded. "Not so sure about the activity though. Not much I can do out there that'd let me work this out without breaking something."

"How about this?" Canary asked him. "A couple of League members, as you might know, are rather wealthy, which puts them in contact with the business world at large. We also have connection to the United Nations. The next time a building or something similar needs demolished, will you give permission to be volunteered for the task?"

"Yes ma'am, in a heartbeat. What should I do until then though? I don't think there's a list of demo projects sitting around somewhere." Deke asked.

"There probably is, but until an opportunity presents itself, I'd suggest chamomile tea and a better diet." She said, glancing pointedly at the empty box of Chinese takeout. "Also, your music is a good outlet. Try that as well."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. Are we done here?" He asked, surprised it hadn't taken as long as he'd expected.

"We are, for today. I want to sit down with you again in a couple of weeks, and see how you're doing. I'd also like your permission to ask Barbara to keep me in the loop." Canary said, standing up.

"Sure, that's fine by me." Deke said. "Thank you again though. I don't want her worried about me."

Canary smiled at him, her heart warmed by his devotion. He hadn't tried looking down her top once, and he was worried about Barbara, not himself. "You're welcome. When I'm not handling problems out there, this is what I do. I'm happy to help."

She walked to the Zeta stop, got recognized, and flashed away, leaving Deke alone in the base. Godiva had taken to working shifts at a local 'Gentleman's Club' to make money, and it was apparently good money. She hadn't lied about knowing her stuff on a pole, though she did have to promise not to use her pheromone control. Whether or not she still did was a whole other thing entirely.

She'd actually left a standing invitation to the whole team to come see her, especially since they'd all seen one another naked already, it's not like she had anything to hide, or be ashamed of for that matter. Eventually, once he had some spare money, he was going to take her up on the offer, and absently wondered if he could talk Babs into coming with him. She'd expressed an attraction to girls, something he still found incredibly hot, but he knew her opinions on a lot of things, and wondered if instead she'd be upset about the girls being objectified.

There was only one way to know for sure, which he would find out eventually. While he pondered it, he took the time to do some cleaning of the hacienda. While Liho and Maddy were neither one much interested in cleaning, Fractal, Daeva, and he were, so there wasn't much that needed done. Still, it was productive, and he could make a game of it.

The major focus was the locker room. He grabbed the high pressure hose and cleaning solution, and went to town, blasting every surface both horizontal and vertical, though he used his abilities to block off the lockers, to make sure nothing inside would get soaked and potentially ruined. Fractal had cooked up some kind of antimicrobial treatment they'd covered the floors in, but now and again, it could still get funky in there, especially with Liho and himself contributing, and nobody deserved to contend with that kind of odor.

His watch beeped at him a while later, reminding him he needed to get back to Gotham. As he put the cleaning supplies away, he worked out some quick math, a subject he wasn't so great at. He could have used his powers to readjust his brain chemistry, to make logic puzzles easier, but in this case, doing it the old fashioned way really was the better way to go towards self-improvement.

He arrived at the same conclusion he'd come to the night before. Flying was just as fast as hoofing it to and from the Zeta stop, even including landing far enough away to conceal his destination.


	22. Chapter 22 (Limon)

October 19th  
Gotham City  
2100 EST

She was laying on the bed, lounged quite comfortably and reading a book when he walked into his dorm room from the showers. Her hair was held up a messy bun with pencils, and her glasses were perched on her nose. Once again, she'd gone for one of his shirts, this one a plain button down, but her smooth, toned legs were as bare as her feet. Her makeup was done as well, leaving her looking like quite the vixen. "Oh, I didn't hear you come in." She said seductively, setting her book down with a measured intent.

"Did I interrupt something?" Deke asked, trying to get into the scene she was setting.

"No, not at all." Barbara said, sitting fully up, taking a slow moment to cross her legs in a positively ladylike manner. "Was your visit productive?" She asked, leaning back on her arms. The shirt she'd commandeered split open below her breasts, exposing her very well-toned abs and giving him a peek of the lacy black panties she'd chosen.

"Yes it was." Deke replied, taking his coat off and hanging it on the hook by the door. "The doc says I'm supposed to change my diet, drink chamomile tea at night, and," he cocked an eyebrow at her. "I'm also supposed to make sure I blow off steam regularly."

"Blow off steam huh?" Barbara said, licking her ruby red stained lips. "That sounds like a job I can help with."

"You don't have to, I was only joking last night." Deke said, feeling a little guilty about the whole thing.

"But I want to." Barbara replied, still so seductive, undoing a button on her shirt and exposing the top swell of her breasts. "We take care of each other, that's what this is, this thing we have. Now come here." She insisted, giving him a come hither motion with her finger.

"Yes ma'am." Deke said, his boots untying themselves. He stepped out of them and towards his love, who got to her feet, stood on tiptoes, and brushed her lips across his. He put his hands on her hips, and she gave them a slow twist.

"Have a seat." She insisted, turning him around and pushing him to the bed. She grasped the hair pins holding her bun in, pulled them out, and shook her hair free, tossing it about like a pro. He neither knew, nor cared, where she picked that up from.

She put her hands on his thighs and pushed them apart, before bending at the knees to get down on the floor, dropping fast. She definitely had a wild hair tonight; that was certain. With a quick motion, she popped another button on her shirt, leaving only one left clasped. She came back up, pushing against his body, and brought her breasts right into his face.

He inhaled, smelling that wildflower perfume she wore, and gave a light bite on one of her breasts, barely dragging his teeth along the skin. She opened her mouth in mock surprise, and waggled her finger at him. "No touching the talent mister." She said through those deep red lips of hers.

She leaned over and hit play on her phone, which she'd plugged into the small clock/radio on his nightstand. Immediately, he heard a slow dirty blues riff start playing, followed by a woman singing about Mississippi in a dry spell. When the music began, she turned, putting her back to him, and began swinging her hips to the beat.

She leaned forward, putting her bottom in his face, and flicked the hem of her shirt away, giving him a flash of the little thong she was wearing, before whipping the shirt back. She put her hands on his knees and slithered her way down to her knees, before spinning on her feet to face him, eye level with his business.

She glanced up at him bewitchingly, leaned into him again, and drug her breasts up his torso, whipping her hair around to cover his face as she did. Already, his jeans felt far too small, and she was only just beginning. Barbara took his hands, and held them against her breasts for far too fleeting a moment, and gave him a wink.

As the song played on, she pushed his legs together again, and straddled him with her back to his face, rocking and rotating her hips slowly to the music. She arched backwards, teasing him with her beautiful red hair, and pulled at her shirt, bringing the collar down around her shoulders, just barely exposing the straps of her bra.

She was delighting in teasing her boy. Having someone she could express her intimate feelings with was nice, and having someone she could play with while she did it was even better. She'd probably never tell him that she'd Skyped Godiva earlier in the day to ask for pointers, or that she'd spent the last couple of hours watching lap dancing tutorials online. Some things were just better left unsaid.

For him, keeping his hands to himself was a task all its own. Especially so when she shimmied out of her shirt, taking it down her body like a dress to spill around her feet on the floor; asking him to contain himself after that was asking far too much.

Once again, she took his hands, letting him rest them on her hips as she stepped over his legs, this time facing forward, to grind on his lap. Occasionally, she would brush her lips across his, trailing them towards his ear, or down his neck. She could, without question, feel the effects of her treatment of him. "Is that for me?" She whispered into his ear, still so bewitching and seductive.

A shiver shot up his spine as goosebumps formed all over his body. "Yes it is."

"Good to know." She said, reaching to take her glasses off. When his hand touched hers, staying her from removing them, she arched an eyebrow and gave him a naughty look. "What? You like your girls nerdy and dirty?"

"No, I like one girl who's nerdy and dirty. Leave them on please." He asked, hoping he sounded as cool as he tried to be.

"Okay, that's fair, just don't make a mess of them." She said cryptically, and pushed his legs apart again, dropping back down in front of him. "Lay back." She instructed as the song finished, to be replaced by more of the trip-hop he'd discovered a few months ago.

It was definitely a fair request, so he did as he was told. He could feel her hands working the button and zipper on his jeans, agonizingly slow. She leaned up and nipped at his abdomen, grazing her teeth across his skin like he'd done to her. Once she got his pants undone, she pulled them away with his boxer briefs, leaving him fully exposed.

Since she'd leaned forward, his shaft bounced against her breasts. She put a hand over it, and pressed it into her cleavage, sliding her body up and down against it. "You look like you enjoyed that." She whispered. When he nodded, she reached behind her to undo the clasps of her bra, blowing softly on the head of his shaft while she did.

Again she sent shivers up his body, causing his shaft to reflexively twitch, a reaction she found highly entertaining every time it happened. Still laying back, he didn't see what made the popping sound, but a moment later, when he felt a warm liquid dripping on his shaft, he had a pretty good guess. When the smell of strawberries met his nose, his guess was confirmed.

"Want to help me with this?" Barbara asked. When he sat up, she was offering him the small bottle of strawberry lube, and pushing her breasts together with her upper arms.

"Yes, yes I do." He said, sitting fully up. She rose up against him, dragging her body against him, causing a low grumble of pleasure to form in his throat. Smiling at her effect on him, she relaxed into his touch as he spread the flavored lube across her breasts. He took his time, letting his fingertips slide across her skin, making sure he got it everywhere. He couldn't resist pinching her nipples while he was at it, though as slick as his hands were, he couldn't quite get the friction he wanted. Her sharp intake of breath told him she didn't much seem to care.

Barbara pushed against his chest with a beautifully naughty look on her face. "Okay you, lay back like I said."

Again, he did as instructed, not sure what she was planning until ay dios mio, she'd grabbed his shaft using her breasts and was sliding them about. The feeling was amazing to him, the softness of her skin, made slippery by the lube she'd brought. He moaned quite audibly as she showed him attention.

The sensation was certainly unique to Barbara, the intimate skin on skin contact feeling wonderful, and the slipperiness quite entertaining. She bent her head down and occasionally flicked his tip with her tongue, just to see if he'd notice, and yeah, he certainly did. She kept this up for a while, thoroughly amused by the whole situation.

Still, this wasn't what she'd shown up to do, so after a couple of songs, she backed off, took him in hand, and began stroking him slowly. His occasional grumbled sounds of pleasure turned into long, slow breaths which told her he was enjoying himself.

After some of this, and once he seemed well in the rhythm of her ministrations, she went further, giving him a long lick from the base of his shaft to the tip, swirling her tongue all the way up. His muscles clenched tight at the surprise of it, so much she could see his quadriceps ripple and bulge out. With a wicked smile, she parted her ruby red lips and took him in, gradually working more and more of him into her mouth.

"Oh my damn." He muttered, turning into putty in her hands. She slowly began bobbing her head as she sucked on him, adding a hand once she got into her rhythm. The way she went to work on him was positively mindbending. He had no words to describe it, and could only fidget as he felt more and more overwhelmed.

Barbara reveled in her efforts, taking great pride in her ability to satisfy her boy. Their last few encounters, he'd focused on her completely, even when he was, well, grudge fucking her. It had left her satisfied and happy, but now, it was her turn to give. She'd planned on giving him some love anyway, his asking for some incentive had just been an excuse.

"Babs baby, holy hell." he moaned. She loved hearing her name on his lips, and it motivated her, causing her to pick her pace up a little. She caught him glancing down at her, so she looked back at him, slowly batting her eyelashes. She came off of him and began using her tongue, giving her a chance to flash him a seductive smile.

"I am the luckiest sumbitch." He managed to say before his head lolled back. She was showing him heaven, and it looked wonderful. She resumed her quickened pace, seeing what kind of reactions she could get from him, and realized she was reacting as well. The fire that burned low in her abdomen was smoldering, leaving her quite wet, and there was no reason she needed to let that go to waste.

She slipped a finger into her panties, toying with her slit, drawing her dew up and around. The sudden stimulation caused her to moan, which in turn caused him to do the same, once again her name on his lips. She wasted no time really teasing herself, since she had, in the past several minutes, seen a few indications he wasn't going to last much longer.

She set about pleasing herself as she pleased her boy, her fingertip fluttering across her button while her tongue did the same against his shaft. She had to fight down the instinct to pull her panties to the side and claim him, and appeased that desire by getting more aggressive on herself.

He could tell she was bringing herself to the brink with him, her pace getting faster and her moans becoming louder and more frequent. He wasn't sure, but it was probably the biggest turn on he could experience, seeing his girl pleased. It even topped the rather spectacular attention she was giving him, and she was in the rarest of forms from moment one that evening.

When she began whimpering, her orgasm drawing near, it began shoving him harder and harder towards his own finish. All sensation fled his limbs, leaving his hands and feet all but numb as his body naturally zeroed his senses in to one singular point. When her whimpering became a whine, muffled by his shaft in her mouth, he felt it begin, and when she finished, he finished with her.

"Oh God yes!" She managed to say through her orgasm. It was enough to get his attention, so she was able to finish out the way she wanted to. When his shaft began to twitch, she stopped swirling her tongue around it, and stroked quickly, holding him against her face. When he erupted, the first jet struck her cheekbone, and spread into her hair. She drew her face away and let the next few streak across her lips and chin. After that, she took him back into her mouth to catch the rest, sucking and bobbing on him until he completely finished.

Once she'd caught the rest, she swallowed it down, still amazed he'd gone to the trouble of changing his entire body chemistry, just for her. The perfectly derpy look on his face brought a giggle to her, as he sat there a moment, with crossed eyes and a blank expression of amazement.

"Did you enjoy that Cowboy?" She said, absently stroking her button to maintain the aftershocks of her own climax. It made her request sound even dirtier as her breathing was being affected by it.

"Uhm, yeah." He mumbled, trying to recover his senses. "That was uh, that was awesome." He finally managed to say. "Give me a minute to enjoy this, and I'll attend to my duties."

"Can't, actually." Barbara said, wiping his finish from her face with her fingertips and licking them clean for his benefit. Another shudder ran through him as he gave a derpy look at her. "This was for you, for a couple of reasons."

When he'd managed to shake the cobwebs from his brain at the sight of her cleaning herself, he responded to her. "Shark week?" He asked.

"Well, that's coming up in a day or two, yeah, but in this case, it's because I have to stop taking my birth control every thirteen weeks, to avoid any permanent damage." Barbara explained, opening his nightstand and taking out the baby wipes, and her eyeglass kit. He'd gotten a good bit on her glasses and that needed cleaned off. What she was going to do about her hair was another problem entirely.

"Permanent damage? That sounds unpleasant." Deke asked, starting to fully collect himself. He could feel her thoughts working, and focusing on her hair, so he began zeroing in on the mess he'd left.

"Yes, like, full on chemical sterilization. I _do_ plan on being a mother one day." She said softly. While this kind of conversation would have been commonplace among lots of other women, the vigilante lifestyle tended to draw a certain mindset, which made her opinion a little more rare.

"You'd be a good at it." Deke said absently, carefully using his telekinesis to surround the semen in her hair, and begin pulling it free, taking his time to avoid pulling any of her beautiful hair out.

Barbara blushed at his words. He'd said it so easily that it was more his subconscious talking, and since he was so focused on helping her clean up, she knew it came from a place of sincerity. "Thank you Cowboy." She said as she wiped her glasses off. A moment flashed through her thoughts, her sitting in a hospital bed a few years down the road, holding a little baby girl with a tuft of strawberry blonde hair, her boy standing next to them looking proud.

She quickly locked that thought away though. While he didn't just go peeking at her thoughts, he could still feel the emotions tied to it, and she didn't want to give him any ideas. Besides, her clock wasn't exactly ticking either, so putting that idea away for a while wasn't that difficult to do.

"Got it." Deke said, a bit of goo floating in the air. She snatched it away with a baby wipe and tossed it into the small wastebasket near his desk. "So yeah, that was seriously hot by the way." He said, a derpy look crossing his face again.

"Don't go getting used to it. I'm saving that for birthdays and special occasions." She told him with a delicately arched eyebrow.


	23. Chapter 23

October 22nd  
Gotham City  
1933 EST

"So, who is this guy again?" Deke asked, trying to ignore all the thoughts and hopes and dreams of the people at the campus party. Since it was a college gathering, a lot of those wishes involved not being alone later in the night, which had made walking around rather difficult. It didn't help that his girl looked so damn adorable in her gingham and graphic tee getup either. He hadn't gotten far enough into the show to have met the character, but Babs loved her dearly.

"Jack Ryder. He's a journalism major, a couple years ahead of us." Barbara said, checking the dye job she'd done on her boy's hair. She definitely preferred him as a blonde, but she'd used dye that Bruce had formulated for use in undercover work. It would wash out in one with the right shampoo.

"Jack Ryder? Bette said he was a creep." Deke said, walking with his beloved to the refreshment table.

"Undeserved reputation Cowboy. She said that because he asked her out on a date once, which wouldn't have been so bad, but she was wearing white and got caught in a downpour." Barbara said, picking up two red cups and handing one to her boy. She held a finger up to him before he took a drink though, and swirled her fingertip in the cup. When her nail polish didn't change colors, she went ahead and took a sip, giving him the go ahead.

"What was that about?" He asked as they milled around the edges of the crowd.

"The polish changes colors if there's drugs in a drink." Barbara said, her face looking less than happy. "I hate that I have to wear it to things like this."

"Hey, I'm here with you." Deke said with a warm smile.

"Yes you are Cowboy." Barbara said, putting her hand against his cheek and stealing a quick kiss. "But there's going to be plenty of times you can't be. I don't want to get out of the habit."

Deke frowned. He understood her reasons, but it didn't mean he had to like it. "Always vigilant, right?"

"Always." Barbara said, trying to shake her sudden bleak mood. "And it seems to serve me well, there's Jack."

She pointed across the large auditorium at a guy, dressed quite convincingly as Dean Winchester, currently getting shot down by a few girls who seemed to treat Halloween as an opportunity to dress in as little as possible. When they walked off laughing, he didn't seem to care, instead just stuffing his hands in his pockets and strolling away. When he saw Barbara and Deke, he smiled and waved, and headed towards them.

"Deke, meet Jack Ryder. Jack, this is my boyfriend Deke." Barbara said, introducing the two.

"Nice to meet you." Jack said, offering a hand. Deke took it and shook, the contact giving him a slight glimpse into the guy. Like a lot of people, he was looking to get laid that night, but he kept a pretty solid handle on it. In addition, he seemed genuinely happy to just be alive.

"You too." Deke said, satisfied by his impression of the guy.

"Barb's told me a lot about you, nice to put a face to the name." Jack said, scanning the crowd while he spoke.

"Yeah, same here." Deke said absently. She actually hadn't said much about him, but truth be told, with the slight lull they had in classwork and investigation, there hadn't been as much talking between the two of them, at least, not about people they knew at school.

"So, who's up for some pie?" Jack asked. "I could go for some pie."

At first, Deke wasn't sure if he meant actual pie, since he got that reference, or if he was just girl crazy. In the end, he went out on a limb. "All the pie and cheeseburgers aren't doing you any favors, you know."

"Damnit Sammy! I just want some pie!" Jack retorted. When Barbara giggled at the two of them, he felt he'd done the character justice. "Or a beer. You two want a beer?"

"Besides not being old enough yet, I'm still not much of a drinker." Barbara replied sweetly. "I know, I'm failing at being a college student."

"You're such the good girl Gordon." Jack said, and wondered why her boyfriend snickered at him. He could wager a guess when she elbowed him in the ribs though. "What about you big guy? Brewski?"

"Nah man, I'm good." Deke said. His headaches had allowed him to develop a measure of self-control under the influence of painkillers, but he didn't want to get buzzed and go haywire in a room full of people he could only sort of ignore. What that would lead to, he didn't want to guess. "Food though, I could always go for food."

"Food _does_ sounds good." Barbara said. "I heard there was going to be pizza."

"There is." Jack said. "Follow me."

They wandered off to grab food, which gave Deke an excellent opportunity to wallflower. Still not totally comfortable in large crowds, it was safer this way. All he needed was to get bumped into by somebody and get a brain full of their thoughts and ideas to get overwhelmed by them.

The night drew on, with the crowd mercifully dying out enough for Deke to actually get out and spend time with his love. He'd had to shoo her away a few times to dance with friends, which was at least comforting to know he wasn't too jealous a soul. The photo opportunities hadn't been too bad though. Several people had asked for pictures, which the three of them had been all too happy to oblige.

"I think Jack's gotten himself a date." Barbara said, slipping beside her boy and taking his hand. She nodded towards their Dean, who was walking off with a girl in a tiny tank top and miniskirt, and painted head to toe in green.

"Is she supposed to be M'gann?" Deke asked, not sure what he was looking at.

"Yep." Barbara said, shaking her head. "It might be best never to mention this to her."

"Oh, I hadn't planned on it. Can we talk?" He asked her, giving her hand a small squeeze.

"That's usually my line babe, but sure. Do you want to go somewhere more private?" She asked, snuggling into him.

"No, here's good, and it's pretty pertinent." He replied, and turned to look at his beloved. "I want to apologize for tonight is all. I wasn't the best date for you."

"Oh hell no, you knock it off right now." She replied, looking cross. "You don't apologize to me for having trouble with something that I know for a fact makes you uncomfortable. Besides, I got enough dances out of you to be happy."

"Are you sure?" Deke asked, his face a mask of sincere concern. "I don't, well, I uhm, I dunno…"

Barbara huffed a breath, stepped onto the steel toes of his boots, further elevated herself by going to tiptoes, and latched onto her boy, kissing him deep to shush him. In shock, he didn't know what else to do but kiss her back, his hands reflexively going to her copper mane.

She hated the idea of doing it, as it was both kissing him to stop him from speaking his mind, as well as effectively claiming him in public, but it was the only thing she could do to calm him down. Well, the only thing she could do in public without getting arrested. His anxiety was causing him trouble less and less frequently, but it still reared its ugly head from time to time.

"If I had a problem with it, you would have known before now." She said, finally pulling away from his lips. "So, are we nice and calm now? No more worrying in there?" She asked, rubbing his temple lightly with a finger.

"No, not tonight." He said. It was nights like this that he felt like she was putting more into this than he was, and that was a legitimate concern, but it was something he could fix. Since they were heading to the Hacienda the next day, he'd be able to cook her something, but for now, he still had another card to play.

To be fair, it was something he hated to do, probably more than anything else. He cast a glance at the DJ, who'd been doing a pretty fair job of keeping the music interesting, but the thumpy dance music wasn't so much good for the remaining people, which tended to be more couples and friends than people looking to get laid. Instead, he pushed a thought into the DJ's head, nagging him with it.

It wasn't a full on command. While he was capable of it, it would take a literal life or death situation to use that aspect of his telepathy. Instead, it was just a thought at the back of the DJ's mind, almost a flash of inspiration.

"Let's dance." Deke asked, taking her hips and keeping her steady on his toes. When she giggled at him and tried to step off, he kissed her at the corner of her eye on the cheek. "I've got you." He said, easily supporting her weight.

Their song, or at least, what he figured was their song, began playing. When Barbara heard 'Thinking out loud' she smiled warmly. "I think this is officially our song." She whispered into his ear and nuzzling into his neck. "You were the one thinking too loud."

Deke gave her a bashful grin. "Sorry about that." He mumbled.

They whirled about slowly on the dance floor, which was more of a task for Barbara than she expected, trying to maintain her balance on her boy's toes. Finally though, she stepped off of him and put her head against his chest, more swaying together than dancing. "I love you." He whispered to her, his voice a low rumble. "More than anything."

"I love you too Cowboy." Barbara said, nuzzling into his chest when the song ended. "You wanna skip the rest of this and go somewhere?"

"Yeah, I really do." Deke replied.

* * *

Barbara slipped into his dorm room a few minutes after he'd walked in, and gave a sweet, shy smile to her boy. "What do you want to do?" She asked, padding quietly to his bed. He was lounged out in pajama pants on his bed, laying on his side.

"Come here and I'll show you." He told her, scooting his back up against the mercifully chilly wall. She ditched everything but her tee shirt and crawled into the small bed with him, not sure what his plans were. When he swung a leg around her and got up onto his knees over her, she began to get a much clearer idea.

"Stomach please." He told her with a smile. When she rolled over, he pulled her shirt up and put his thumbs on her back, a couple of inches below her ribs. She cooed softly when he applied pressure, working in small circles down and towards her hips. While her birth control had done remarkable things for her cramping, they still happened on occasion, and his technique was doing wonders for it.

"You did some reading." She said through a contented sigh.

"I did." He admitted. He'd overheard a couple of classmates talking about it after class a few weeks ago, and hit the internet to see what he could learn. It made for an eye opening few hours of research when he should have been doing anatomy homework.

"I will always approve." Barbara murmured, melting into his touch. She cooed softly as he worked her muscles and body, the unique but familiar sensation of him realigning her body's natural energies joining his relaxing fingertips after a few more minutes.

"I'm not hurt." She said after a moment, as much to let him know he didn't need to use his powers as it was to keep from falling asleep on him. "You don't have to realign me."

"I am?" He asked, genuinely surprised. He reevaluated himself, and realized he was, without meaning to. It left him wondering just how often he'd been doing it without thinking about it. "Eh, not a big deal, no sympathetic response to bother me, might as well. You can roll over now, by the way."

He levitated himself off of her, allowing her to flip onto her back. Seeing him floating in the air brought a giggle to her, which in turn caused him to smile brightly before he began snickering. Once she got herself comfortable, he lowered himself back down, and pulled her shirt away from her stomach to start making gentle, heart shaped motions on her stomach with his fingertips.

Like the rest of her body, he admired her belly. A lifetime of gymnastics and martial arts had left her with a nicely toned abdomen, but she didn't have the absolute shredded appearance of a bodybuilder either, just indisputable proof of the amount of work she put in. True to the girl he fell in love with, she didn't flaunt it, and only rarely dressed to accentuate herself, content to save it for special occasions, and for him.

Similarly, she'd influenced him, amusingly, by him doing the whole other thing. He'd conveniently given her all of his older, baggier shirts whenever she was looking for something to wear, which solved the problem of him weeding them out of his wardrobe, as well as making sure her adorably quirky scavenger drive was sated. It left him with clothing he was both comfortable wearing, and feeling comfortable being seen in.

Beneath his fingers, Barbara sighed happily again. Since her cycle only happened a couple of times a year, this was the first time she was around him when she'd experienced it, and she wasn't sure what he would do. Since his go-to was to try and make her feel better, she felt more secure in her choice of companion in life.

She would have been happy if he'd kept it up until sometime around the middle of next Tuesday, so when he finally stopped, she made a small pouty face. Another thing she reserved for their private moments. "Your skin's getting raw, I don't have any kind of oil or anything." He explained.

"So how do you handle yourself when I'm not around then?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. It had been something she was curious about anyway. He never talked about it.

"Oh, heh, that." He said with a blush. "Psychometabolics. I can just spontaneously make it happen whenever I want. Trust me, I figured that trick out really early on. It's sorta how I figured out I can do the other physical stuff."

She couldn't contain her laughter at the mental picture of him walking down the hallway and having a 'moment'. "So, just up and whenever, you just pop off in your shorts? I have a hard time believing that. Besides, isn't it messy?"

"Laugh all you want, but it's true, and I generally wait until I'm in the shower or something." He said, snickering at her.

"So you just spontaneously get yourself off. I love you baby, but that is silly to think about." Barbara said with a snicker.

"Yeah, you say that now." He said, and placed his hand low on her abdomen. Almost immediately, she felt a tingling warmth spreading, tickling her. She opened her mouth but only a slightly labored breath escaped her lips. The feeling of her body being stimulated without being touched anywhere 'stimulating' was strange.

It built up quickly within her, causing her to hum and quietly whimper. It was over in a minute, a small orgasm rippling across her sex and into her stomach. Her eyes fluttered open with a shocked look at him, not entirely sure what had exactly just happened. "That was new." She said, enjoying the small endorphin rush that had come with it.

"Yeah, I'd kinda rather please you a bit more naturally than that, it's a lot more fun, and a lot more enjoyable." He said with a sheepish grin.

"It felt nice, don't get me wrong, but it just wasn't the same." She replied. Physically, it felt good, but it was nowhere near the same as being touched properly. "Too detached I think."

"I agree." Deke said, taking her hands and pulling her up to a sitting position. "I've been working on my range though, I think by senior year I should be able to get you from anywhere on campus, so I can be useful if you need a little pick-me-up and don't have time for something more intimate."

"So long as you don't decide to surprise me in class or something, I think I could agree to that." She said with a smile. The small climax he'd given her had also helped with her admittedly mild cramps as well, once she took the time to notice it.

"Deal. It's still early. Do you want to link?" He asked. "It's been a while."

Thinking back, she had to agree, it had indeed been a while. "Now, are you talking link and sex afterwards, or just linking, because I'd prefer to put towels down first."

"I was just thinking linking. We've been a bit uh, carnal, lately with everything going on." He said. "Blowing off steam is fun, but it treats the symptoms, and I want to cure the problem itself."

She smiled softly at her boy, and kissed him on the nose. "You're not wrong, about either thing really. All this stuff has put a hamper on romance. I mean, please don't misread me, I love some aggressive sex as much as the next girl, but still, I miss the romance too. Tell anyone I said that, and I'll kick your butt first and outright deny second."


	24. Chapter 24

October 22nd  
Gotham City  
2337 EST

The unusually mild October evening had turned into a bitter night. A stinging, icy rain had begun to fall, more of the same in the city. This was when Gotham was at its most real, when it was completely, and totally unforgiving. Some might call places like Detroit, or Bludhaven the most dangerous city in America, but the truth was, it would always be Gotham.

These other cities, they were honest. A person knew what they were getting into there, but with Gotham City, there was just enough promise of being able to make a decent life that it became a siren's son, luring people to an early grave. It was Gotham that turned men into heroes, or villains. It was nearly impossible to be anything but.

"I thought I'd find you here." Batman said, practically manifesting himself behind Jason. The new Red Hood was standing on a low rooftop, looking down into the alley where he'd first stolen the wheels off the Batmobile.

"I thought I could come back." Jason said, turning around to face his former mentor. No, scratch that, his friend and second father. "I guess they were right, you can't go back home."

"Not when you want to, no. But when you need to." Batman replied. "And we'll be here. Where are you going?"

"Like you aren't going to keep tabs on me?" Jason said sourly. He scowled, and shook the negativity aside. "You didn't deserve that. Really, I don't know where I'm going."

Batman nodded. He might have the most clearly defined plan and direction for himself now, but that wasn't always the case. "Try Battery Park New York. Look for a man named Ted Grant and tell him I sent you."

"Which name do I give him?" Jason asked, not sure where Bruce was heading with this.

"Either, he knows both. One of the few who do. He's an old friend who helped me early on. Maybe he can do the same for you." Batman said, remembering just how Wildcat had 'helped' him when he first planned on donning the cowl.

"Sure. Any direction is better than none." Jason said, intentionally turning to look down into the alley, giving Bruce the chance to ghost away. "That's what you always said, right?" he added, turning to speak to empty air. Too predictable.

October 23rd  
Destin Florida  
0843 CST

"It's about time you got here!" Godiva exclaimed, pacing the floor in front of the Zeta tubes. "I was supposed to be gone by eight!"

"You never told me a time Mads." Deke said, suddenly defensive. "And why are you in that outfit?"

She looked down at the black suit she was wearing, and realized it did seem pretty foreign for her. The skirt was knee length, her shirt revealed no cleavage, and her jacket was properly fitted, minimizing her bustline. Nothing about it was in any way her usual style. "Thanks Mustang, not a 'Hey, you look nice.' or a good morning even."

"Sorry." Deke said, feeling embarrassed. He stepped away as the Zeta tube recognized Barbara. "That was seriously shitty of me."

"Yes it was. What are we chastising him for?" Barbara said, poking him in the stomach. "You look nice by the way."

"See, she gets it. I don't see why she keeps you around." Godiva said with a frown, gesturing towards Barbara. She stepped onto the platform and keyed in her access code, and got whisked away without another word.

Barbara put her hand on Deke's shoulder. "Sorry, I promise I wasn't throwing you under the bus."

"It's fine. She wasn't even that annoyed. She was nervous, almost scared about wherever she was headed." Deke said, scratching his chin in thought. "I do feel bad though."

"Well, you know better for the next time." Barbara said, taking her boy by the hand. "What's on the agenda today? This was all your plan."

"A run, then breakfast, then watching a sunset. What happens in between, I have no idea." Deke said with a shrug. "Mostly I wanted to spend time with you."

"That's sweet of you." Barbara said, kissing him on the nose. "And you're going to go on a run with me? I thought you hated running."

"I _do_ hate running, but you don't." He said, setting their bags on the couch. He took a seat and began unlacing his boots. "It's seventy outside right now, by the way."

"Thank heavens. I love Gotham, but I hate being cold." She said, and watched him quite casually strip to his underwear. Sure, she'd seen him completely naked, both physically and emotionally, on several occasions, but he still had a self-conscious streak. "Though I'm already warming up." She said, tickling his leg with her fingernails.

He blushed at her and pulled on a pair of blue and white basketball shorts. "Happy to help." He said, tipping an imaginary hat. When she likewise ditched her clothing to change, he sat back in the chair and watched. She gave him a wiggle of her bottom, a shimmy of her shoulders, and tossed her regular bra into his face when she changed into her sports model.

"How are you an F? He asked, taking the time to look at the tag. "I thought those were huge."

"Band size matters my lovely." She said, turning to show her profile. She illustrated on her own body, pointing to her ribs, right below her bust. "I have a slender torso and that matters just as much as what's attached when it comes to sizing. Plus, most girls don't get fitted right, they just get what fits the closest."

"Buying you clothes is going to be tricky." Deke muttered, putting her bra on his head like a hat. Barbara giggled at him and swatted her undergarment off his head.

"Welcome to a girl's life." Barbara said with a shrug. That he cared enough to bother learning meant a lot to her, and it showed on her face. She placed a sweet kiss on his forehead and began lacing her sneakers up. "Are you running barefoot?"

"Yeah, something Liho likes to do. Where the sand isn't that hot today I thought it'd be more comfortable." He said, and pulled his wallet out. The day before the Halloween party, he'd gone down to the Mercado and done some more translating. It wasn't the haul he made last time, but it was at least enough for them to enjoy their evening together.

They went down to the beach, Barbara stopping only long enough to smear on enough sunscreen to protect the entire city. After her last good sunburn down here, she wasn't taking chances. They then took off running, the beach almost eerily empty now that the summer was over, leaving only the locals out and about. Deke held back a few feet from Barbara, purely to watch her bottom move as she ran. He wasn't sneaky about it either; she turned to show him the tip of her tongue at one point.

The run itself wasn't as hard on him as he expected it to be. Apparently, the same kind of fitness it required to push himself in flight was what it required to do a distance run, so when she glanced back at the two mile mark and saw him keeping a respectable pace with her, she just kept going.

They put in six miles, though the last one felt like murder to Deke, who'd begun sweating buckets, despite the much more forgiving temperature. When Barbara finally came to a stop, she turned to see him lagging well behind. "Come on Cowboy!" She called out, waving at him. He looked up, gave a wan smile, and trudged along.

He caught up a couple of minutes later, and just fell into the sand beside her. "You're a sadist." He said, gulping in air as hard as he could, trying to bring oxygen back into his body.

"Have you seen your shoulders?" She said with a wicked smile, and sat down beside him. Her heart wasn't exactly at a resting rate either, as she'd forgotten what running in sand was like, but her conditioning was far better.

"As a matter of fact, yes." He said, bringing himself to a fully sitting positon.

"You said you liked it." She pointed out, poking him in the deltoid. She'd gotten over her issues with scratching him up when it had become clear he really did enjoy it, and now it was just a natural part of how they made love, which was just as well, she had the hardest time trying to control it anyway.

"That I did." He said, relaxing for a moment longer. "You want to go get lunch?"

"Yes please." Barbara said with a bright smile. They headed back to the hacienda to bathe, though the narrow stalls there made it far less fun for either of them. Once clean and changed, they piled into the Camaro that Deke was given use of, and went to a place called Fudpucker's, one of Deke's favorite places in the city. His summers here were turning him into quite the local, Barbara noticed, when one of the servers called him by name.

"Should I be jealous?" She asked after they were seated.

"Of Jessie, no, she's not my type and her husband's probably the one who'll make our food." Deke said, lightly stroking the back of her hand with his fingertips. "Like I mentioned, I'm in here a lot."

"Okay, so you keep saying 'not my type' all the time. What exactly is your type anyway?" Barbara asked, flipping her hand over and grasping his, giving it a light squeeze. "And don't say what I think you're about to either."

"What? You? I'm sorry, but I don't really know. I just know you are and she isn't." Deke said, squeezing her hand back.

"Okay, this is a mystery." Barbara replied, and he knew how she felt about mysteries. How he was going to keep her Christmas presents a secret was beyond him. "How about this? Can I see your porn collection? I'll show you mine." She offered a bit bashfully.

This could prove interesting. "Sure, sounds fair to me." He said. "But service is scary fast here off season, so you might want to figure out what you want to eat."

"Oh, okay." She said in the sweetest voice, and picked her menu up to scan through it. Across from her, he didn't bother touching his, which was amusing to her as she tended to take him places where she knew what she wanted from moment one. Apparently, this is what it felt like.

When their server, Jessie arrived, they placed their orders. Barbara chose a chicken strip salad, and Deke ordered a burger. While they waited, Deke produced a marker and added some graffiti to the already covered walls.

"Em Oh plus Bee Gee?" Barbara said with a blush. "I feel like we're in grade school again."

Deke just shrugged and took her hands. "I'm a traditional kinda guy, what can I say?"

"Say you love me." Barbara said, tucking an errant strand of her sunset hair behind her ear.

"Barbara Gordon, I love you. I love you like the mountains love the wind and the sand loves the tide." He said, and leaned across the table to kiss her.

"Oh my God, are you proposing?" Their server said as she brought their drinks. The look of shock on her face was both impressive and amusing.

"Uhm, hehe, no, actually." Deke said, his face as red as Barbara's, and the both of them a deeper red than her hair. "Just trying to be romantic."

"Oh wow, I'm so sorry." Jessie said, setting their drinks down and scurrying off.

"Well, that was awkward." Barbara said, sipping at her soda. A flush had risen up her spine though, the moment their server had accused Deke. She'd have to investigate that feeling later, alone. "But it _was_ romantic."

"I try, sometimes." Deke said, likewise sipping at his drink. "Remind me though, if fate be kind and we're still at this later, to not pop the question here."

Barbara giggled at her boy, feeling a bit more at ease at the mention of the word later. "Happily."

They bantered idly while they waited on their food, which did indeed arrive quickly. It also looked like the kitchen was grateful for something to do, as they were the only patrons in the restaurant at the moment. Their portions were rather huge, and plated a lot nicer than one would expect from a laid back beachside eatery.

They ate happily, their server coming by a little later to apologize. Barbara learned that she and her husband had met Deke one night in the parking lot of the place when they were having car trouble, and had remained friends afterwards. It was nice seeing him make friends on his own, especially with the crippling shyness he'd exhibited not that long ago.

Once they were done eating, the two lovers went to the grocery store and fish market to pick up some things. Barbara didn't realize he was cooking her dinner, but she wasn't about to complain. He kept tight lipped about his final product, but he grabbed mahi mahi and shrimp at the fish market, so she knew seafood was happening. Being right on the ocean, it was an excellent choice.

Once they got back to the hacienda, a little after three in the afternoon, Barbara decided she wanted to get involved in solving her mystery. She took her boy by the hand and led him into his bedroom. "Okay, still willing to show me your porn?"

Deke nodded and handed her his laptop. Once Captain Atom said they were for the team to keep, he'd officially made it his own, including using a picture of her as his desktop background. "Really?" She asked, turning the screen around to prove her point.

"What? I like that picture of you." He said defensively.

"I brought my camera, we'll get you a better one." She said with a wink. To be fair, he _had_ chosen a pretty decent picture of her. "And I'll get a better one of you too." She added, handing him her laptop from her bag.

He told her where to locate his alone time material, and she began looking through it. There was, at first, a disturbing lack of trend in what he'd saved. Blondes, brunettes, redheads, multicolor dye jobs, and various ethnicities in various shapes. He did have a trend towards athletic redheads though, so he wasn't quite lying about that. Once she'd looked at the performers, she began collating data about what was happening in the videos. Apparently, he had a bit of a thing for menage a troi.

On Barbara's computer, he could see very specific trends. "You're really into amateur stuff, aren't you?" He asked her, noticing a vast majority were homemade videos.

Barbara blushed, setting his computer to the side. "I really am, yeah. I like that it's not put on. They're really enjoying it, not just showing up for the paycheck. Also, it's a lot more likely the performers aren't just being exploited."

"Well, I can't argue that." Deke said, and kept perusing. A lot of girl on girl, which wasn't necessarily surprising to him, several listed as 'for women' or 'romantic', as well as light bondage, similar to how they occasionally played, was also in her list. "So, satisfied?"

Well, she would be later, that was certain. "Yeah, I am. I think somebody's feeling hopeful though." She said, climbing on top of him and setting her laptop aside. "I noticed more than a couple of two girl one guy videos in there."

That turned his face red. It didn't help that she was climbing on top of him like a predatory cat claiming prey. "Well, uhm, to be fair, a couple…" he began, but she cut him off.

"Uh huh, sure. I bet you thought I'd try a girl out, enjoy myself, and then let you have a taste too. Am I right? Is that what you wanted, two sets of hands on you, four breasts in your face, maybe two tongues on your… neck?" she asked, licking him across the jugular, causing him to shiver. She straddled him, and noticed quite clearly the effect she was having on him. "What if I really am a jealous girl? What if the sight of another woman even putting a hand on you makes me upset? I might not be able to handle the thought of someone else enjoying what's mine."

Deke fumbled with his words, trying to answer her but lacking the facilities to do so. She'd gone so far as to pull her shirt off and had her spectacular breasts smooshed right up into his face. It was then that she switched gears. "The truth is, I don't know." She said, her voice going from dangerously seductive to thoughtfully frank. "But you can keep the fantasy alive, so long as you don't get your hopes up."

"That's not what I get my hopes up about with you." Deke said, not meaning to say the words out loud. Quickly covering, he piped back up immediately. "Right now I'm hoping those condoms in Maddie's desk aren't past expiration date."

He remembered she was still off her birth control. Barbara smiled, returning to the seductress. "If they are, well, we're creative people, aren't we?" She noticed the hitch in his words, but put it aside. He'd tell her when he was comfortable, and there were indeed more pressing _needs_ at the moment.

"Perhaps we should look then, shall we?" She said, slithering across his body, taking the moment to really enjoy the body on body contact.


	25. Chapter 25

October 23rd  
Destin Florida  
1611 CST

Barbara walked out of her boy's bedroom, wrapped in a bedsheet, and feeling wonderfully cheesy about it. That she could walk at all was something of a surprise in and of itself. She'd apparently discovered some hidden aggression within her, and let it loose on him. So much in fact, that he was currently laying naked and asleep in bed.

Barbara grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the refrigerator, and swished her way back down the hall to the locker room, where she grabbed a bottle of peroxide from the medicine chest. Aggressive might not have been the best word for it, once she thought about it. She'd clawed and bitten him way worse than usual.

On her final return trip, a small red light flashing on a holographic console that hadn't been there before, caught her attention. She set the bottles down and let the sheet unfurl from around her body, leaving her in the buff in front of the panel, and hoping it wasn't a video communication.

To be safe, she leaned around, away from the panel, and flicked a fingertip across the hard light surface. Immediately, a screen popped to life with a security tag, which showed a familiar blonde man attempting to bypass a security panel on the outside of the building. She was about to call to her boy when the door slid open, and the man stepped in.

"Not what I expected." He said, his expression hidden behind his red bandanna mask. He hadn't reached for any of the weapons he carried, but his stance was ready and calm. He'd proven himself a trained fighter already, and she was caught, quite literally, with her pants down.

"Me either." Barbara replied tartly, shifting her stance and body weight. Her eyes took in everything in the room, seeking advantage. There was an almost clear line from the door he'd entered to where she stood near the Zeta platforms. By her perspective, the living space was on the left, and the kitchen and dining area was behind him. She was standing almost on top of the bedsheet, and the bottles of water and peroxide were within reach.

"I take it he's a much heavier sleeper?" Grifter said, stepping into the warehouse turned base, letting the door shut behind him. His pace was cautious and measured, obvious he was expecting her to make the first move. She was, in fact, one of the tougher opponents he'd ever faced, but his mask kept his face from revealing it.

"Does it matter?" Barbara asked, not sure if he was making an insinuation about their sex life or not. "What do you want?"

"It wasn't to be a peeping tom, though I'm not sure if you believe that. I came to talk." Grifter said, and to prove the point, he unbuckled his gun belt slowly, and slid it smoothly across the floor towards her. "I'll want that back, of course."

"Of course." Barbara said through narrowed eyes. She bent at the knees, letting her back foot slide, and keeping her eyes on the intruder. She picked up his gun belt and removed his pistols, dropped the magazines, and racked them off the front ends of one another. When the chambered rounds hit the floor, she set the weapons behind her, grabbed her bedsheet, and stood up, her eyes still locked onto him.

Grifter watched her wrap herself in the sheet, and caught her technique in securing it to herself, which screamed Themysciran. Specifically in how she'd not only given herself a far greater measure of modesty, but also ensured that she could move without tripping herself up. "Deacon." She called out, loud but calm. "We have a visitor."

Not quite completely asleep, Deke heard his beloved's voice and sat up. He pulled his hat to his hand telekinetically and held it over his junk, and stepped outside into the base proper. When he saw the red masked man, he immediately seized control of his body, magnifying his reaction times by effectively lubricating his snynapes, preventing a total dump of adrenalin into his system, and keeping his heart rate calm. "You motherfucker." He said by way of greeting, stalking into the large open space of the base.

"Listen Eleven, I'm here to talk, not fight." Grifter said, preparing for the telekinetic assault he expected from Eleven. Like him, Grifter had a measure of psychic abilities, but nowhere near the same caliber, leaving him unsure if he could even survive it.

"You nearly killed one of my friends." Deke said, visualizing a spear of energy in front of the mercenary, letting potential energy build and magnify within it, preparing it for a ballistic course into the man's body.

"Deke, he used a subsonic, non-frangible round. It wasn't meant to kill Fractal. We talked about this." Barbara said, putting a hand out on his ripped and bleeding shoulder. She'd address that later.

"She's smart Eleven, listen to her." Grifter said. "I needed to make it look good, otherwise we'd both be in a lot more trouble."

The spear of energy, so full of potential energy that it was rippling visibly in the air, began to dissipate. "You're lucky." Deke said, still scowling. "And my name isn't Eleven."

Grifter didn't relax until the disturbance in the air was completely gone, and even then he didn't relax completely. "Go ahead, take a look." He said, pulling his mask off, revealing handsome features set into an emotionless expression.

And take a look he did. Barbara was worried for a moment when the intruder's face went completely slack. She had never been worried that her boy would cause permanent harm, but this time was a moment he might make an exception. Seeing an opportunity, she dashed away, quick as lightning. When she got back into the main space, and saw that nothing had changed, she threw a robe around her boy to give him some more modesty than a cowboy hat.

She also ditched the bedsheet toga, pulling on a pair of panties and a tee shirt, though she clipped her travel belt on under the shirt. The two men were statues for another few minutes, leaving her to really begin worrying. She almost spoke up when Grifter's face regained some semblance of expression. "Satisfied?"

Deke frowned. "Yeah, I'm satisfied, for now." He said, suddenly surprised at wearing a bathrobe. "Have a seat." He added, gesturing towards the living area. Still not perfectly comfortable, Grifter sat nearest the door, in the event he'd have to take off in a hurry. Deke and Barbara sat across from him, keeping in arm's reach of each other.

"Checkmate is still trying to consolidate their losses on the project. I was able to evac the two scientists, no thanks to the nanotrackers." Grifter said, casting a glance at Barbara. "Like me, all they know is your costumed identity, so your real life is safe."

"Good to know." Barbara said, feeling as guarded as her boy. This Grifter was acting way too charming for her tastes, and it didn't help that he'd gotten an eyeful of her in the nude. It was clear Deke had noticed it too, as he reached over and took her hand, gripping it lightly.

"The files I left you in the security office should have everything you need. I'll be working this from my end. You and Ten, sorry, Fractal, should do the same, and please, get Batman off my case. I can't work with him snooping. It's diverting Checkmate's attention, but that won't last long. They'll clam up and this whole thing will be worth nothing."

"I can't promise anything." Barbara said. "And there were better ways to get our attention."

"It was his attention I was worried about. You were caught up in the turbulence." Grifter said. "And if you're smart, you'll put some distance between yourself and him. You don't want caught up in this."

She turned to look at her boy. She never felt like she needed his permission to speak her mind, but this really was his business and she wouldn't just muscle her way in. Their hand to hand contact was enough for him to feel her desire, and he smiled softly at her.

"Yes, actually, I do." She said. "I've made my problems his, and he's made his problems mine."

"Cute." Grifter said, walking towards the door. "Good luck then." He made a come hither motion to his gun belt and weapons, and the pile slid along the floor to his feet, perhaps a little slower than he would have liked, but quick enough not to lag his exit.

"Deke, babe, can I ask what was going on between you two?" Barbara asked the moment the door shut. She turned her chair around to face him, and noticed the unhappy look on his face.

"He showed me a lot of things, about the Sigma group, and about the people in charge of it. Batman and the Question weren't joking, these are horrible people. They wanted to breed me and Fractal, they were fully prepared to make it happen if we liked it or not." He said with a shudder. "And they were also fully prepared to try and kill you to try and make me go off the handle so they had authorization to call in the League to take me down."

Barbara frowned, got up out of her chair, and slipped onto his lap, cuddling up onto him. "Never going to happen my lovely, and you know it."

"Yeah, but I think I've got more to talk about next week with Black Canary." He muttered. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I've got much more left in me tonight. I had these grand plans to try and show you that I appreciate you and everything, but this kinda wrecked that." He added.

Barbara put a hand on his chest and rested her head beside it, listening to his remarkably calm heartbeat. "Don't apologize to me, and don't think you have to make some grand gesture to show me you appreciate me. You took the time to understand how my cycle works, you went running with me even though you hate it too. I don't need big grand gestures Deke. Despite some evidence to the contrary, I'm just a simple Jersey girl. Mean it when you tell me you love me, give me respect and affection, and really, that's all I need."

Deke wrapped his arms around her, cradling her against his chest, and stood up, causing her to giggle softly. "I do love you." He said, carrying her to the sofa. "But you've been right there with me through all this bullshit that you don't deserve. I can't put words to how much that means to me."

He laid her down on the sofa, and knelt down beside her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a long, soft kiss. "I wasn't lying to Grifter. I chose to make your problems my own." She said after breaking the tender moment. "You've helped me with mine too. How many ways can I tell you that's what love is supposed to be?"

"Once more, as always, Miss Gordon." He said, rubbing noses with her. "Would you like dinner soon?"

"Yes I would, but I insist you let me cook with you." She said, sitting back up. She didn't feel like much of a princess at the moment, despite his best intentions. "But before we start cooking, I also insist you let me clean those gashes I left on you. I don't know what came over me."

"It wasn't because I was doing a good job?" Deke asked a bit sadly, getting out of her way so she could stand up.

"You _did_ do a wonderful job, but I think I was hit with some hormonal shifts and accidentally took it out on you." Barbara said, watching the peroxide bottle soar across the room and into the hand she was gesturing with. "Love marks are one thing, but I was feeling really aggressive. Sorry about the hickey too, I just noticed it."

"I'd be lying if I didn't say I've been hoping you'd give me one." Deke said with a derpy grin. "And I don't so much mind the aggression either."

Barbara splashed the peroxide on the scratches and bites she'd left on him, not sure if she was just that turned on, or that territorial. It certainly left her body and her mind at cross odds; that was for sure. The fact that the gashes across his back and shoulders didn't bubble up that much was a good sign, though the real healing in this instance was for her. Taking care of what she'd inflicted was soothing to her conflicted heart. "Shush and let me love you." She whispered into his ear, daubing at the peroxide dripping down his back.

After she'd cleaned him up, the two of them wandered into the kitchen to cook. She cut the fish into good sized chunks while he peeled and deveined the shrip. These were tossed into a mix of orange and lime juice, cilantro and garlic. She set the rice cooker, and watched him fight with a can of black beans, before getting frustrated and using his powers to cut the lid off the can.

Once the rice was almost finished, they pan seared the fish, and tossed the shrimp in last, before splashing them with some tomato juice. Simple, effective, and smelling so very tasty. "This is gonna be good." Deke said to her, once they began plating.

"I can't wait." She said with a bright smile, taking the rice from the cooker once it finished and putting it in a bowl. He just levitated the skillet of fish and shrimp, as well as the pan of black beans, over to the table.

He grabbed a couple of bottles of aloe juice and wandered to the table with her. "What do you want to do after the sunset?" he asked, filling her plate for her.

"I don't know." She said, putting on an extra measure of shyness, her eyes downturned and lashes batting coquettishly. "Can you think of any activities we could do, while we're here, all alone together?"

"A few." He said. "If you're feeling up to it, that is."

"Are you challenging me?" She asked, leaning across the table. "Because we both know how well that works."

"Kinda the plan my love. Kinda the plan."


	26. Chapter 26

November 1st  
Gotham City  
1235 EST

The kid, no more than seventeen, lifted the can of spray paint and gave it a shake. Immediately, he felt a shove against his back, pushing him into the wall. He turned around, a scathing comment on his tongue, but saw nobody there. Blaming it on the drugs, he turned back to the wall, only to be pushed again. Once more, he turned to cuss the person responsible out, but once more, there was nobody. For a third time, he tried it, and got bounced off the wall a few more times.

"What the hell?" He said, not sure what was going on, when he felt the spray paint yanked from his hand. It bounced around in front of him, and began bopping him on the chest and head. Finally spooked beyond all measure, he took off running, screaming something about never doing drugs again.

Above him and across the street, two costumed heroes sat snickering. "That was terrible of you." Daeva said, her accent making the admonishment all the more weighty.

"Funny though." Mustang said. "It's midnight thirty though, we're off the clock. Time for Blue and Wondergirl to take over."

"Couldn't come fast enough." Daeva said. She was wrapped up in her cold weather costume, and also buried under her teammate's long rider coat for extra warmth.

"Right? You're still staying with us tonight?" He asked, putting his hat back on his head. He pushed his telepathic senses out, just to make sure he didn't detect any nefarious desires worth checking out. Aside of a woman cheating on her husband, and a teenager sneaking from the liquor cabinet, he didn't noticed anything worth suiting up for.

"If you're certain." Daeva replied, handing her teammate his coat back.

"You know I don't mind, and it was actually Bee's idea." Mustang said, checking his smartwatch. The last notification was from an hour ago, saying the Joker was on his way back to Arkham where he belonged. "Want a lift? I can get us there faster."

"Certainly." Daeva said politely. He lifted her telekinetically, oriented himself by memory (a definite win) and took off, launching up and over the buildings, heading west towards the apartment he and Barbara shared on special occasions, and if Babs was right, they'd be sharing permanently come that spring.

The two heroes rocketed across the Gotham sky, only airborne for a minute or two, before coming to a stop a block from an apartment building. He lifted her across the street and onto the roof before taking a flying leap across as well. Once over there, he plugged in the combination for the roof access door, and the two made their way quickly inside.

Once in the apartment, the first thing Deke noticed was that Barbara had beaten them there. She was sitting on the couch in one of the tee shirts she'd permanently borrowed from him, an ice pack wrapped down on her shoulder with a bandage. She turned to greet her boy and his partner, flashing a self-satisfied grin. "Hey you two. I was beginning to wonder about you both."

"He was having fun playing bouncey ball with a graffiti artist." Aasha said, hooking a thumb at Mustang.

"He gets carried away, that one." Barbara said, and pointed towards the bedroom. "You can change in there if you want."

"Grab one of my shirts if you want, there's an open season on them." Deke said pointedly.

"They're huge on me, I think she'd fall through the neckhole Cowboy. You can grab one of mine though." Barbara said, showing her boy the tip of her tongue. "And you're more than welcome to grab a hot shower if you want."

"Thank you both." Aasha called from the bedroom. Once she'd shut the door behind her, she began unwrapping the specially insulated sari from her body, leaving her in what amounted to a skin tight spandex athletic suit. She peeled herself out of these, and ditched her sports bra, and began looking for one of the shirts Barbara had offered her.

Finding one, she pulled it on, and took a look in the mirror to make sure she wasn't putting more of herself on display than she wanted. In this instance, at least, being so short had advantages. Outside, she heard a soft smacking sound and a giggle, followed by her teammate's voice asking about Barbara's shoulder. It left her feeling a little empty, and a little jealous. She'd been alone her entire life, not entirely by choice, and hearing the two of them smooching didn't help much.

She gave them a moment before stepping back into the living space. Deke was pulling a tee shirt on and reaching for his regular coat. "I'm getting pizza, anything special you want?" He asked.

"No, I'm good with whatever." Their houseguest said, taking a seat in one of the chairs next to the sofa and curling her legs up under her.

"Okay, back soon. I love you." He said, leaning over and planting a small smooch on Barbara's head.

"Be careful, it gets worse out there after midnight." Barbara said to her boy.

"Says one costumed hero to another." He replied with a wink. He tossed his coat on then and headed out the door.

"So, why are you in so early? I figured I wouldn't see you all evening." Aasha asked her hostess. She'd assumed, as Batgirl, Barbara would be patrolling until dawn.

"I've been out since five this afternoon." Barbara replied, muting the television and turning to face her guest. "You two and I are more comfortable around children. That's why we took the early shift, to keep an eye out for trick or treaters."

"Did a little goblin do that to your shoulder?" Aasha asked, pointing to the icepack on Barbara's shoulder.

She shook her head, errant strands of red hair floating in the motion. "Nope, this was courtesy of one of Scarface's goons. They got an early start tonight, and one of them almost fell off a bridge. I had to shoot a line to catch him, and I wrenched my shoulder when the tension hit."

"Sounds so exciting." Aasha said, leaning forward a little. "Is it always like that for you?"

Again, Barbara shook her head, smiling at her guest. "Honestly, it's like forty percent stakeouts, another forty percent research, and ten percent heart-stopping excitement. Is it not like that for you?"

"No, more like ninety nine percent waiting on something to happen, and then one percent manic reaction to the unpredictable forces of nature." Aasha replied. "I'm honestly jealous."

"Don't be." Barbara told her. "I'd love it if Gotham calmed down a little more."

"You're doing good work here, all of you." Aasha said sweetly. "It shows. Mustang said you told him that parents used to not take their children out for candy here."

"They didn't, but it did give the city reasons to set up safe trick or treats all over. I'm glad that's still going on, but it's better seeing the kids out. My dad and I never got to." Barbara said, a little sad she didn't have the memory.

"Maybe one day you can take your little girl out, provided of course, that that's something you want." Aasha said, feeling hopeful for Barbara. She bonded quite quickly with people and already wanted the best for the girl behind the cowl.

"It is, eventually." Barbara replied. "What about you? Do you have any clear plans for later in life?"

"That would involve not only being able to find a man I care enough about, and also being able to keep him." Aasha said with a frown.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Barbara asked. "Who told you there were requirements to keeping someone?"

"Oh, nobody. I'm sorry, I could have worded that better. I just, I'm sorry, this is kind of embarrassing." Aasha said, stumbling over her words.

"If it's embarrassing, don't worry about it." Barbara said sweetly. "I didn't mean to pry."

"You didn't, and it's okay. To be honest, I don't have a lot of women I can talk to. It's just, I've never gone to bed with someone, and I have a feeling it's not going to happen any time soon, so I'm not sure how much fun I'd be when the right one came along."

"If he's the right one, he won't care Aasha." Barbara said warmly. "I had no practical knowledge my first time, and the boy's out there getting us pizza, so I know it's more than possible."

"Mustang was your first?" Aasha asked. He'd mentioned he'd only ever been with one girl, but she'd never asked for more details.

"Yes he was. I have no regrets." Barbara answered, turning the television off entirely. She much preferred interaction to tv, and having someone new to talk to was always a plus.

"Could I maybe ask you a couple of questions?" Aasha asked after a moment of self-deliberation. "Godiva is of little to no use in these matters, and my mum isn't much help either."

"Sure, go ahead." Barbara said with an inviting gesture. "I don't have much experience though, so don't expect a great depth of knowledge here, and I won't give up any of Deke's personal details."

"It's fine, some is better than none, or the positively pornographic answers Godiva has, that I can't particularly trust." Aasha said, squirming about and trying to muster some courage. "Did it hurt, the first time?"

Barbara shook her head. "No, not really. I was a little sore afterwards and the next day, but it was a good sore."

"Did you, oh dear this is embarrassing to ask, I'm sorry." When Barbara smiled warmly and reached across to pat her on the knee, Aasha continued. "Did you do foreplay?"

"Well, sort of." Barbara answered, trying to put it into words. "We linked minds, and it got very deep and emotional. It's what kind of motivated me to take things to the next level. There was a lot of time I would have spent seeing if I could trust him that we were able to skip. Now, the second time, we did more traditional kind of stuff."

"Did he expect you to or anything?" Aasha asked, hoping she wasn't getting too personal.

"If he had, we wouldn't be here right now." Barbara said, leaning over the arm of the couch. "And he went first actually, so that made things a little easier to decide."

"Oh? That was nice I suppose. Was it a chore?"

"It really was nice, and no, it wasn't a chore or anything. I'm not the psychic in the relationship, but he seemed like he was having as much fun as I was." Barbara said with a faraway smile, enjoying her perfect recall.

Aasha saw the flush rise in her guest's face. "Was it difficult for you? To, you know, reciprocate?"

Barbara pondered that for a minute. "I mean, I'd never tried it before, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I'd seen enough of it on the internet to give me a starting point. He certainly didn't complain." She said with a small giggle, remembering his derpy expression. "Practice makes perfect and all, but that's only if it's something you want to do. Don't let someone force you into it or tell you that you have to."

"I wouldn't, don't worry. Did you, well, finish, your first time?"

"Oh God yes." Barbara said with an involuntary shiver, again going back to the moment in her mind. "But, I know my body very well, and unfortunately, I'm extremely responsive."

"How is that unfortunate?" I would imagine that would be a trait to be envious of." Aasha asked, puzzled as to why finding sexual pleasure easy to achieve to be an unfortunate thing.

"Yeah, except I'm also very ticklish, and when I experience orgasm, it's almost too powerful. Too much of a good thing." Barbara said, feeling warm.

"I wouldn't know." Aasha complained, though even her complaints were bright.

"Do you have a difficult time with it?" Barbara asked, her curiosity piqued by the girl's statement. "There's a lot of good websites I can show you, and I don't mean porn either. Real sites with articles written by sex therapists."

"That would be very handy." Aasha said brightly. "Heaven knows I'm apparently not doing it right."

"That's really the secret. Once you know yourself, it falls into place, and trust me, if you're enjoying it, whoever you're with is going to enjoy it too." Barbara said to her guest, patting her on the hand.

"I still have to find this mystery man though. So far nobody's lining up. I bet you were spoiled for choice, as pretty as you are." Aasha said pointedly to her host; a woman she found positively beautiful, with her fiery red hair, bright blue eyes, and enviable physique.

"Thank you," Barbara said with a blush. "But don't be too sure. I was just the skinny geek girl until the summer between junior and senior year, and by then the boys I was interested in, were only interested in one thing."

"At least you wound up blossoming. I had to pay for mine." Aasha said, glancing towards her rather modest chest. "So people wouldn't still think I was in middle school."

"You bought those?" Barbara asked, surprised. She didn't expect it from her. "They look real from here."

"I got just enough to actually have breasts worth mentioning, I didn't want to look lopsided or plastic." Aasha explained, fighting embarrassment. Mentioning her elective surgery was a slip, and something she'd never told anyone. "Can we keep this between us?"

"I know nothing." Barbara said. "So, feel free to say no, but can I see them?"

Aasha shrugged and pulled her shirt up, revealing her surgeon's work. "I can and do still buy my bras in the kids section though, so they're not much."

"They fit you though, and they really do look real." Barbara said with a critical eye. "I can't even see the scars."

"I had an excellent surgeon. They're supposed to feel real too, though I don't know about that. I was rather flat; bee stings would have been preferable." Aasha said, feeling burning hot in her cheeks. "See for yourself I suppose."

Barbara reached out with trepidation, waiting in case Aasha changed her mind. When she wasn't stopped, she placed her hands on Aasha's breasts and gave them a light squeeze. They were indeed soft and pliable, with no hint of artificiality, and they really were the perfect size for the girl. She couldn't discount what seemed to be a perfectly healthy decision for getting the work done either.

"They really are nice." Barbara said to her, also squirming in her seat, but not from embarrassment. Between talking about sex, bringing up good memories, and getting to second base with a girl she found attractive, she was growing beyond flustered. She had a feeling Aasha was going to need earplugs once Deke got home.

"Thank you. They're nothing like yours of course." Aasha said bashfully.

"Well thank you too." Barbara said sweetly. "Say, did you still want that shower?"

"Oh, yes please." Aasha replied, deciding she needed a cold one after their conversation.


	27. Chapter 27 (Half of a Lemon)

November 1st

Gotham City

0122 EST

"Pizza at one in the morning, coming right up." Deke said, coming through the door. He was carrying two boxes and drinks, though once the door opened, he eased his own burden, sending them sailing through the air on a gentle course, to come to rest on the small dining table.

"Oh, he does that here too." Aasha remarked, while brushing her still wet hair. "I thought he was just showing off all the time."

"No, he _is_ showing off, but we can get this apartment cleaned in what, like five minutes?" Barbara said, turning around and flashing her boy a smile.

"It's five minutes if you're not here. Closer to three when you are." Deke drawled, and gathered disposable plates and napkins in the classical manner, by hand. "Okay, I've got one fungus, olive, pepperoni and feta, and I've got one pepperoni, sausage, and banana pepper. I went with larges to make sure we had enough, and I got drinks too."

The two girls came off their seats, and wandered around behind the sofa to the small table. "Enjoy ladies." He said, making a grand gesture towards the food. Aasha had guessed correctly when she saw Barbara going for the pizza with more vegetables on it, but she'd more expected Deke to get a side of beef or something on his.

Taking a slice of each and a diet soda, she waited until her hosts had their plates, and then sat down with them. They talked and ate, and through their conversation, she was trusted with at least a shortened version of Batgirl's name, since Karen was more properly known as Bee.

After they ate, Deke summoned clothing from the bedroom, and then took himself to the shower. It left Aasha and Barbara sitting there, still laughing at something he'd said. "Mustang told us what it was like growing up. I think you've worked a miracle on him." She said to Babs.

"I didn't do much really. He wanted to change himself, I just supported and encouraged him." Babs said with a small shrug. "I'm not in the business of 'changing' a man to suit my needs. I leave that up to insecure women who like to play games."

"I admire that you are so secure with yourself." Aasha said, smiling at Babs sweetly.

"Thank you Aasha. It wasn't easy. I had to deal with a lot to get to this point, and I still look in the mirror and dissect myself, but I think trying was the best thing I could do. You should too, you've got a lot to be proud of."

"Oh, like being able to pretend I'm in grade five and making it stop raining?" Aasha said with a giggle.

"Well, if you want, but I more meant that Deke calls you a Goddess. At first I was a little jealous, until Liho and Maddie did it too, then I understood." Babs said.

"That was kind of them to say. Most days I don't feel it though."

"There's something Black Canary said to us once. If one person calls you a bitch, ignore them. If two people call you a bitch, start to wonder, and if three people call you a bitch, it's time to own it." Barbara said.

"Someone called me a bitch?" Aasha asked, sounding a little horrified. She worked very hard to remain as kind and sweet as possible, choosing to set the example in her everyday life.

"No," Barbara said, showing the small woman the tip of her tongue. "But it works for anything. There's plenty to be proud of within you. Own it."

"Thank you Babs." Aasha said. Her attention got drawn when the door to the bathroom opened. "You have a wonderful girlfriend Mustang." She called out.

"Hell, I knew that." He drawled. He stepped carefully since his head was covered by the towel he was drying his hair with.

"See what I mean?" Barbara said quietly to Aasha. "You could have put a shirt on since we have company." She added in a normal volume.

"You've both seen me naked and fed me dinner. In some places that makes us married." He said offhandedly, finally done toweling the worst of the water from his hair.

"There's a profound difference in the ways we've seen you without clothes Mustang." Aasha said, shaking her head, and giggling when she noticed Babs doing the same thing.

"That is very true." He said, sitting on the couch and wrapping an arm around his beloved. The sight warmed Aasha's heart, who just smiled at them. One day.

Aasha had barely fallen asleep when she woke with an intense and insistent need to pee. Tossing off the warm blanket and sliding off the couch, she padded to the bathroom to see to that. On her return trip, a sound caught her attention. It was clearly coming from the bedroom of the apartment. The door was cracked a few inches, and a soft light was emanating from within.

Curious, she peeked in, and got herself an eyeful. Babs was laying on her back, one arm crooked over her head, while the other was grasping her breast. Deke was laying in front of her, quite obviously 'servicing' her. The sound she'd heard was a quiet sigh of pleasure. Aasha knew she needed to head back to the couch straight away, but she was frozen in place, not sure how to look away.

Inside the bedroom, Deke was taking his time with his beloved, using his tongue to tease and explore her. Something had gotten her turned on, a little more than her usual, and she'd been quite insistent with him when they'd gone to bed. He was using his powers to read her body and listen to her thoughts, trying to make sure she was happily satisfied without getting her too noisy.

He almost missed it, while he was trailing his tongue in long, slow paths across her petals, the thoughts that didn't belong to her. For the moment, he ignored it, and went back to his attention on his girl, finally using the tip of his tongue to outline her button. She inhaled sharply at the sudden increase in her pleasure, but fought to keep her voice under control.

Her voice, at least, because her hands weren't having any of that control nonsense. Deke felt those hands of hers grasp his head, her fingers tangling into his hair. He'd be lying if he didn't say it flipped his switch a little, but he had to force himself to slow down. He kept his attention on her button, licking swirls around it, and occasionally placing soft kisses on it. When the other thoughts he detected, surely Aasha's, fell more in line with what they were doing, he spared a quick glance out of the corner of his eye.

Sure enough, she was out there, watching. The expression on her face wasn't that of someone just being a pervert, she was fascinated, and apparently absently touching herself. [Don't look,] Deke said to Barbara telepathically. [But I think we have an audience.]

It took Barbara a moment to process that, since he hadn't stopped his tongue, but when she took a moment to determine the implications, she couldn't help but find it hot. [If you're

okay with it, let her. She was asking me sex questions earlier; this might give her some answers to questions she was afraid to ask.]

[How thoughtful.] Deke retorted, sliding his hands around her bottom, across her hips and abdomen, and grasping her breasts. The change in sensations heightened Barbara's experience, especially when he pinched her nipples, dialing in his pressure until it was just right for her. It didn't hurt that he was comfortable with her decision to let Aasha watch. The idea of someone getting off on watching them was incredibly appealing to her.

Quietly watching, Aasha vaguely noticed she was indeed touching herself, her fingertips absently stroking her entrance, which was growing more wet and sensitive as the couple in the bedroom kept going. It wasn't hard to put herself into Babs' situation, even though she'd never really fantasized about her teammate. Whatever was happening had to be nice, since Babs grabbed a corner of the blanket on the bed to bite down on.

When Babs finished, her squirming stopping and her body locking for a moment, while her voice was muffled by the blanket, Aasha suddenly stopped too. She wasn't certain what to do with herself, besides watch as Mustang got up and over top of her, kissing her as she came down from the experience.

They stayed like that for a moment, until Babs instructed him to get onto his back. Once in that position, Aasha had to clamp her mouth shut at the sight of him, standing proud as it were. She'd only seen him in his relaxed state, this was a whole other thing.

Barbara kissed her way down his chest and abdomen, taking him in hand as she did. When she got into position, and took him into her mouth, Aasha's fingertips began moving again. Babs licked and stroked him as much as actually sucking on him, and she was taking her sweet time about it. This wasn't the frenetic race to the finish line that Aasha had expected, it was more relaxing looking.

She kept this up for several minutes, during which time Deke seemed perfectly content, making small, quiet moaning sounds in his breath. Aasha's fingers kept working, instinctively matching pace with the couple. She froze again though, when Babs took her mouth off of him, and while slowly stroking him, looked dead at her. "If you want to watch, you can pull up a chair." She said with a smile.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry, I never should have," Aasha squeaked, still frozen in place. "I can go."

"You can stay." Babs said warmly. "And I wasn't kidding about the chair either."

"Are, are you certain?" Aasha asked, trying to calm down and failing. She was still terrified.

"I knew you were there a while ago." Deke said. "Apparently someone has voyeuristic tendencies." He added, glancing at his girlfriend.

"It's hot, I'm sorry. Do you want me to stop?" Barbara asked, ceasing the slow stroking on his shaft.

"I never said that." He drawled. It was kind of nice, knowing he was part of something that had apparently gotten someone else so turned on that they were taking care of themselves while watching.

Aasha, with great hesitation, padded into the bedroom, guided by the dim lamp in the room. Still looking at them with some confusion, she pulled the chair away from the small vanity table, turned it around, and sat down. After she was situated, Barbara continued her attention on her boy, her eyes going from looking up at him, to giving sidelong glances to Aasha.

"She says," Deke mumbled. "She says her mouth oh damn." He tried again and had to stop. "If you have questions." He finally spat out, and had to grab a pillow, giving it a white knuckled squeeze. Now who was showing off?

"Her mouth is full, so she can't tell me to ask questions if I have them?" Aasha said, not able to stop herself from giggling at her teammate's reactions to Babs' work. He looked like he was in heaven, with the very silly look on his face.

Aasha kept her questions to herself, not wanting to interrupt, and just watched them. Again, her hand drifted south and into her panties, lightly toying with herself. Deke noticed her, and just winked; it was all he could do while Babs was bobbing her head on him, quiet slurping noises accompanying her.

"You might wanna stop soon." Deke muttered, still gripping at the sheets, trying to control himself. Babs just looked up with a wicked grin in her eyes, and doubled down on her efforts. "Or that."

Aasha leaned in to watch as Barbara picked up her pace, instinctively speeding up her attention to herself. Deke began making some noises that would be hilarious in hindsight, occasionally calling out the beautiful redhead's name.

Apparently, Babs could read her boy well, because she pulled away, stroking him as he finished. The sight of it triggered Aasha, who began mewling quietly as her first orgasm rippled through her body like thunder following the lightning.

"Oh, that's naughty." Aasha remarked a moment later, once she'd caught her breath. Babs was cleaning her boy up, with her tongue. "Doesn't it taste bad?" she asked after a moment.

"He hacked his body, on a dare." Barbara said with a giggle. "Come here."

A little surprised, Aasha stepped over to the bed. Babs sat up, swallowed, and beckoned for her. Not sure what else to do, Aasha came closer. Barbara brushed the girl's hair out of her face, smiled, and kissed her.

Deke's eyes widened at the sight of his girlfriend kissing his teammate, who took a moment to get into enough to use some tongue. What had started as a simple illustration slowly turned into a much longer, deeper kiss. Sitting up, Deke silently lamented that he had nether scotch nor cigar to enjoy while watching.

It was, amusingly enough, Aasha who made the first move with her hands, lightly touching Barbara's breasts. When she wasn't stopped, she began exploring the much larger pair that Babs had. "Keep it up and you're not just watching anymore." Babs whispered to the girl after a moment. "I don't take well to teasing."

Aasha's hands froze for a moment while she faced that decision. This wasn't at all how things happened in the movies or the books. Well, not the mainstream movies or books. She was, however, at the stage of just getting it over with as far as her sexual experience was concerned, and she trusted the two people she was with, both quite literally with her life on more than a few occasions.

Finally, Aasha kissed deeper, and put her hands back to work, feeling the murmur of approval from Babs in her mouth as they locked lips and dueled with their tongues. Barbara broke away again a moment later though, and looked at her boy. "You're comfortable with this? I'm not going to assume for you."

"Don't stop on my account." Deke said, already feeling himself stirring again.

Barbara and Aasha fell to the bed together, coming down in a controlled crash. The two kissed and nibbled on one another, and in short order, their hands began exploring. Deke watched as his girl put a hand against Aasha's mound, and when she wasn't stopped, kept going, sliding her finger up the girl's slit.

Aasha whimpered at Babs' exceptionally nimble touch. When she leaned over, Aasha took one of her nipples into her mouth experimentally, flicking her tongue over the stiff peak. Barbara cooed her approval as she played with Aasha's sex, lightly massaging the girl's button.

Deke kicked back and relaxed as Barbara brought her to her next climax, and found the differences between the two girls interesting. Babs had a big personality and it showed in how vocal and kinetic she was in an intimate moment. Aasha, much brighter and sunnier than most, had a positively beautiful smile on her face, though she was quieter and more relaxed in the moment. Their skin tone was another big difference. Barbara was pale, and Aasha was quite dark. Once again, he wished he could draw as well as he played music, as it made for a perfect picture.

Once she'd calmed down, Barbara kissed her again, and smiled softly at her. "Just say the word and we'll stop, or, keep going. Whatever you want."

Aasha thought about it for several moments, all the while Barbara was stroking her hair softly. "Will things get weird between us?" She asked, worried about that more than anything else. "I don't want that."

"I'm not even sure this is really happening, so probably not on my end." Deke said.

"Weird is relative." Barbara said. "And in our line of work, also commonplace." To punctuate the point, she trailed the hand she'd pleased Aasha with up her boy's chest to let him taste her by proxy.

"Okay then." Aasha said nervously, and pushed her hand against Barbara's abdomen, trailing it lower. "In for a penny, right?"


	28. Chapter 28 (The Other Half of a Lemon)

November 1st  
Gotham City  
0246 EST

Aasha leaned into her teammate with trepidation. He smiled at her gently, and brushed her hair out of her face, no insistence or impatience in his expression. Still, she was worried; Babs was watching the two of them, a curious look on her face. Finally, she touched noses with him, and let her lips meet his. He took charge, kissing her softly, holding back any aggression, and after a short moment, let her set the pace.

Sitting near the two of them, Barbara watched as her boy was kissing another girl, though, to be fair, it was a girl she was kissing first. Her feelings were in something of a tizzy, as part of her wanted to end the little Indian woman for trying to take what Barbara had made clear was hers, but at the same time, her libido seemed to be cheering for more, and all the while, her brain was telling her that, no matter what, he still belonged to her as much as she belonged to him.

In the end, that primal sense of territory lost, and instead became focused on spurring her. She brushed Aasha's back and stroked her hair, delighting in how impressively soft it was, especially since she'd borrowed the same shampoo and conditioner that Barbara herself used.

"You're still okay with this?" Aasha asked after a moment, turning to look at Barbara.

"I am, but there are some rules, which I'm honestly setting as much for myself as anyone. One, actually, the only one, no asking each other who's better at any given thing. That's just asking for trouble. Everything else is common sense." Barbara said, scooting around and nipping her boy on the shoulder before kissing up his neck, illustrating quickly that she had nothing else to say.

He wrapped his arms around both girls and pulled them tight, for a moment content just to feel them. Aasha's heart was thundering in her chest, which he could feel when she curled up under his arm, pressed against his ribs. While he kissed Barbara, Aasha put her hand out and touched him, as much out of curiosity as desire. She wasn't ignorant, and knew basic anatomy, but the profound difference in his musculature versus Barbara's was, if nothing else, fun to explore.

Both of them were solid of body, but even that felt different to Aasha, though it was tough to put it into words. He felt more hard while she was more flexible. Feeling a bit daring, she leaned over and kissed him on the pec muscle, and ran her fingers up and down his abdomen, which caused him to laugh involuntarily.

"Oh hey, I can get into this." Barbara said, joining Aasha in tickling the boy. His squirms and ineffective attempts at fighting either of them off brought a genuine laugh to her, as she finally had some help in revenge tickling him.

It sort of slowed down suddenly when Aasha's wrist brushed his shaft. She pulled away as if she'd burned herself, and looked at Barbara, almost terrified. "I've had my fun for a moment." Barbara said to her reassuringly. "I won't stop you."

Gingerly, Aasha reached her hand back out, glancing at Deke. Again, he showed no signs of insistence, just a kind expression on his face. Aasha mustered her courage and grasped him. "My goodness." She said, seeing him in her hand. "You're quite large."

"I'm flattered you think so, but I'm right in the middle of the road." Deke said with a blush and a funny look. His equipment was so average it was almost funny.

"Perspective babe." Barbara said to her boy as she nibbled on his earlobe. "To me, you're perfect but to her, you're massive. Don't let it go to your head." She added, turning her face to show him the tip of her tongue.

"Don't worry, I won't." He said, and leaned his head back as Aasha began slowly stroking him.

Barbara scooted down his body and laid perpendicular to him, occasionally flicking her tongue out against the tip while Aasha got acquainted with it. The girl's facial expressions were both endearing and entertaining. It was clear she wasn't sure what to do with it, and the way she moved it about, this way and that, left Barbara stifling a giggle.

When Aasha looked at her, Barbara smiled at the girl. "I did the exact same thing, I'm glad I'm not the only one."

"Ditto." Deke mumbled. "I think I memorized every inch of you the first time I got a close look."

"Shush you." Barbara said, this time not stifling a giggle. "Just relax and enjoy it. I swear, this boy."

"I'm glad you're in a good mood." Aasha said, still trying to understand Deke's body. "Bloody hell I'll just ask it. What do I do with this?"

"Well, the correct answer is, whatever you want, within reason of safety and consent." Barbara replied, sticking her tongue out again to catch a lick. "But I think the real answer is, do you want to use your mouth or not, which isn't something I can answer."

"I'll try." Aasha said, a bit nervous. Babs was right about perspective, and she was feeling a little intimidated. If he was honestly middle of the road, the idea that there were prospects out there, that were much larger, was scary.

"Come down here then, I'll help you." Barbara said kindly. "But remember, I'm no pro either."

"Okay then." Aasha said, and scooted down closer, bringing her face within an inch of him.

"Try what I'm doing first." Barbara instructed, and took a long slow lick around his shaft. Aasha stuck her tongue out and followed suit, and it left Barbara a little flustered, the girl had an almost frighteningly long tongue, especially for someone her size. If she was feeling frisky enough later, that promised to be very interesting.

Deke's happy smile told both girls that Aasha was picking up quite well, and it extended to Barbara showing her how to use her lips and hands. To Deke, it was like a good massage. It felt wonderful, but they weren't exactly pushing him to the edge, which was probably for the best.

"Do you want to try your whole mouth?" Barbara asked, having shown Aasha what few tricks she knew.

Aasha nodded, and giggled as she had to push Deke's shaft out of the way to look Babs in the eyes. Barbara found the situation just as funny, and snickered. Fortunately, Deke had been looking down and watching them, and the absurdity struck him too.

"Just mind your teeth, okay. If it hurts your mouth or anything, just stop, I know he's not going to mind." Barbara said, and to verify her statement, Deke nodded in agreement.

Aasha opened her mouth wide and carefully took him in. He moaned happily at her attempt, which she found encouraging, and listened as Babs explained the next few steps, reminding her to take a break on occasion if she needed to.

Aasha followed the instructions to the best of her ability, slowly bobbing her head a couple of inches or so, and sucking gently. She felt Deke's hand move to her hair, but he only stroked it softly, which was of great comfort to her.

It was against the rules to say it out loud, but his Babs was definitely better. Still, he couldn't deny it felt nice, and he really did feel like some kind of porn actor due to his perspective. It got a little more porn though, when after a few moments of working alongside her, Barbara scooted down the bed and slipped behind Aasha.

"Stop me if you want." Barbara said, and waited until Aasha took her mouth off of Deke, before she trailed a slow lick across the girl's petals. Aasha immediately whimpered, her shoulders shuddering at the sensation.

"I can't do both." Aasha lamented, not sure what to do.

"I'm good for now." Deke said, still stroking her hair. "Climb up here and relax." He said, scooting from out of the middle of the bed and patting the spot next to him. She climbed up and stretched out, and Barbara followed her, a happy, and quite eager, look on her face.

Barbara took another long swipe with her tongue once she was in position, hoping Aasha liked similar treatment to what she enjoyed. When the girl hissed and sprouted goosebumps, Barbara figured she was on the right track. "That's wonderful." Aasha said, her voice already far away.

"Deke, if she'll allow it, you don't have to just sit there." Barbara said after several minutes of exploration, both physical and mental. Yeah, she was definitely into girls too, there was no doubt. This was entirely too arousing, and entirely to fun. She loved the way her tongue felt against Aasha's petals, and the taste of the girl was heavenly, and also quite unique, almost spicy, which was amusing considering the girl's demeanor.

She cast her eyes up and watched as her boy reached out and brushed Aasha's small breasts. She smiled bashfully at him and he continued. It was clear he was listening to her body, given the expression in his green eyes. As nervous as she still seemed, it was a wise decision, one she applauded her boy for.

Aasha didn't know what to think after a few more minutes. She was feeling positively blissful, with Babs delicately licking her, and Deke doing the same to her nipples. The electricity began charging from the attention, her body starting to get the kind of signals she was only just now beginning to realize existed. Apparently, Babs noticed them too, and adjusted her focus, brushing her button with her tongue.

Aasha almost shrieked when it happened. She grabbed Deke's head and held on as Barbara kept her pace up. Being touched was one lovely thing, but this, this was a whole other kind of excitement. She struggled, trying to find words, but only babble came from her mouth. When she felt kisses against her neck from Deke while he used his hands to touch her breasts, the lightning flashed again.

Barbara, feeling justifiably smug at the moment, slowed her pace down gradually, not wanting to overwhelm the girl too early on. She collected some of Aasha's dew on her tongue, and climbed up after a short time, and patted her boy on the shoulder, kissing him deeply when he turned to look at her.

"Oh that is very naughty." Aasha said shyly, watching Babs give Mustang a taste of her. "I guess, I uhm, I taste good?"

"You do." Deke said to her, absently licking his lips, which was a remarkable turn on to her. She wanted him to try too, to see how it was different, but she needed a break.

She got it when Deke pushed Barbara down gently on the bed. She gave an excited smile and adjusted her position until she was comfortable, and he began trailing kisses down her neck. He paused a moment, and glanced at his teammate. "You want in on this?" He asked, though he gave no clue what 'this' was. Aasha just smiled and mimicked him, leaving Barbara in between the two of them as the sole focus of their attention.

Immediately, goosebumps rose on Barbara's skin at their touch. When lips were on each of her nipples simultaneously, she wasn't sure what she'd done to deserve such attention, but she liked it. She cooed and moaned softly as her two lovers focused on her, taking their time with her breasts. Aasha in particular, seemed fascinated by them.

The tingles kept running through Barbara as they worked their way lower, leaving her wondering about the logistics of both of them trying to satisfy her. Apparently, her boy had thought of that, and made an overly grand gesture. Tension began exerting itself on her legs, pulling her into a split and carefully scooting her down until her bottom was off the bed. He kept the pressure light, stopping when she felt she'd met her limit. Since she didn't have to use her own muscle tension to hold her legs apart, it was actually quite comfortable, considering the situation.

Deke looked at his current partner in crime once they got to the floor. "Have fun, I'll try and follow your lead." He said, giving the control to her. Like the rest of the evening, everything Aasha did started so tentative. Barbara hadn't just dove right in on her, which had been quite pleasurable, so she tried the same approach. Together, they kissed their way up and around Barbara's thighs, which caused more goosebumps, and some giggles; it must have tickled. Deke put his hand on Aasha's back, stroking her skin, as much to give his hands something to do as it was to reassure the girl.

Both of them began teasing Barbara's sex after a little more buildup, Deke having to divide his focus further to better match Aasha. It was made tricky by her rather long and apparently also rather agile tongue. The girl could just plain do things he couldn't match. Barbara didn't seem to care, she was already close to gnawing on a pillow to keep herself quiet.

It was certainly a new, exciting, and enjoyable experience for her. Barbara felt like melting from their attention. It got doubly better when Aasha flicked her tongue across her button, starting the fire blazing even brighter.

"Oh my damn girl." Barbara squealed when Aasha began rolling her tongue across Barbara's button like a snake. She couldn't jerk her legs with Deke's telekinetic grasp on them, but her arms were free to flail about, trying to find something to grip onto, finally settling on her breasts, which she was likely squeezing too hard.

"She says thank you and she'd hoped you'd like it." Deke said, still listening to them both. Seeing as how Aasha had taken the driver's seat on their endeavor, he decided to just add to the experience instead of keeping pace.

He pulled away, turned his back to the bed, which put him directly beneath Aasha, leaving her wondering if he was planning on taking her. When he readjusted himself and put his head under Barbara, Aasha realized that wasn't the case. Finally, he flicked his tongue out, and began working small circles on her bottom with his tongue, which caused his girlfriend eyes to roll back into her head.

Not content with just doing that, Deke carefully brushed Aasha's stomach with his fingertips. When she didn't stop him, he worked his hand down her abdomen until he reached her entrance. Again, there was no protest from her, so he flicked her slit lightly with a fingertip.

Aasha was loving the effect she and her teammate had on Babs. The girl was all but convulsing through what had to be an exceptionally powerful orgasm. She was also enjoying his hand against her. She was able to grind her button into the heel of his hand, which got her going on Barbara even faster, flickering and fluttering her tongue in any manner she thought might work.

When Barbara was able to focus enough to look down, she saw Aasha going to town on her, and the girl glanced back up, batting her lovely eyelashes. It was a lovely moment, until she shut her eyes hard and her tongue paused a moment. It passed quickly, and she was right back to it, but it seemed like she was having trouble focusing.

The fire within Barbara turned into a nuclear detonation in an instant though, spreading across her body in an instant and leaving her completely devastated. She hadn't realized she was as close as she was until the moment struck her, and when it did, there was no doubt. Again she had to muffle herself with her pillow as she experienced what was likely the most powerful orgasm she'd ever had.

Mercifully, both of them let off of her quickly. Any contact for a few minutes would be way more pain than pleasure. Deke's grip also released, allowing her full control of her legs, which was good, because she laid in the fetal position for a moment, trying to come down from what she'd experienced.

Finally glancing over after several moments, she saw Aasha grinding in front of Deke and whimpering. Was he actually within her? That wouldn't do at all, not without her right there. Barbara bounced herself around on the bed, eager to see what was happening, and entertained by what she saw.

The much smaller woman was all but sitting in his hand, grinding against it while he teased her opening with his fingertip. Barbara leaned forward and kissed her, wanting to taste herself on another woman's tongue. It was, as she'd hoped, exceptionally hot. It helped that Aasha experienced another climax while they kissed, and had latched onto her to steady herself.

"How far do you want to go Aasha?" Barbara asked once the girl relaxed.

"I hadn't thought about it actually. I've mostly just been letting things happen, it's all felt so good." Aasha replied, climbing back onto the bed. "Have I gone too far?"

"No sweetie." Barbara said, stroking the girl's hair. "I would have said something. It's just, so far we're just playing around, and it's fun, but if you want to, well, go all the way, then it's something you should be certain about. I hope you'd rather be a little frustrated than look at either of us as regrets is all."

"That was well put babe." Deke said, climbing up onto the bed with them, and curling up behind his beloved. She ignored his shaft pressing into the cleft of her bottom. She'd see to that shortly.

"I've been at the point of just wanting to get it over with for a while." Aasha said, nestling her head into Barbara's breasts. "But if that's too far, then it's too far and tomorrow is another day."

"We just don't want you rushing the decision is all." Deke said to her. "Babs is right, ain't neither one of us want to be someone's regret."

"My options for the foreseeable future are you, Liho, and a couple of boys from school who seem more interested in that I'm Indian than myself as a whole, and Liho quite literally frightens me." Aasha said.

"He really is one of God's experiments, never meant for full production." Deke said with a nod. When Barbara turned around and gave him a questioning look, he drew a line with a finger from his elbow to his wrist.

"Are you serious?" Barbara asked, appalled by what was illustrated.

"He's actually probably underestimating. I don't see how Maddie can handle it." Aasha said. She knew that Godiva occasionally went to him to spend the night, but how, was beyond her.

"Wow, things I didn't need to know about my friends." Barbara said, shaking her head. "But, back to topic, you're certain?"

"I am, but I can't stress this enough, you two are absolutely beautiful and perfect together, and I don't want to harm that in the slightest. I don't want to be someone's regret either." Aasha said enthusiastically. She truly believed it, and it was easy to tell.

Barbara pondered it for a moment. Playing around a little, she'd been able to keep her possessiveness pretty handily in check. This was a whole other matter. Aasha made it clear she wasn't going to 'catch feelings', as she already seemed secure in the feelings she had before ever walking in the door. There was also the more important thing to consider as well. In their spare time, all three of them wore costumes and fought crime. That carried certain, very clear risks. Gotham had buried more than one nameless vigilante who'd zigged when they should have zagged.

She turned to look at her boy, so patient and serene looking in the moment. "It's quite possible I will never agree to this again, but this is an opportunity that may never come back around."

"Crystal clear." Deke said with a nod. He'd honestly felt extremely flattered that Aasha had even considered him as someone to handle the situation at hand.

"Good. Now, you, lay back." Barbara said, pushing on Deke's shoulder. "She needs to be in complete control; she's extremely small."

"Okay, fair enough." Deke agreed, and got himself comfortable.

Barbara then turned to look at the other girl. "Aasha, did Black Canary discuss birth control with you and Godiva?" She couldn't help but own the situation, it was just how she was wired.

"She did, and I accepted." Aasha said.

"Okay, that's settled." Barbara said with a nod. "You might want to let him see to you first, to make sure your body is as ready as possible. I'll even do you a favor and do the same for him."

"Care if I use my powers?" Deke asked, as Barbara gently guided Aasha over him to rest over his face, orienting the girl to watch as she got her boy ready as well.

"I don't mind." Aasha said, suddenly extremely nervous. She began to calm down when his tongue began going to work on her, gently exploring her sex. He wasn't trying to get her off, instead, he was teasing her, seeking to bring her as close as he could without sending her over, in the hopes that her body would be in its most prepared state.

Aasha cooed and whimpered softly as he flicked and fluttered his tongue against her. After a moment, a warmth spread from his hands through her hips and abdomen, melting tension out of her muscles and sparking the electric storm within her. She smiled at Barbara, who was also taking her own sweet time with her boy. "Pay attention, I might start showing off." She said with a wink.

It was difficult though, keeping her focus. The effect his powers were having on her body was nothing short of blissful. She felt almost stoned after several moments, between that and his tongue, the technique so wildly different but equally wonderful and arousing. She did manage to catch Barbara smiling at her as she pleased her boy, and could only smile back.

"I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Aasha said, her voice distant. She came off of Deke's face and turned around to see him licking his lips again. Barbara scurried around and kissed him deeply, giving Aasha a pleased look afterwards. She then returned to her position over Deke's knees, and held her hands out to support the other girl.

Aasha straddled him, reached down and took hold of him, and held her breath. "Breathe." Barbara instructed softly, and helped Aasha guide him into place. She began lowering herself on him, and despite how aroused he'd tried to get her, it still didn't feel like enough.

She couldn't clear his head before stopping. She shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and paused. Barbara was whispering encouraging words into her ears, reminding her that it was okay, and occasionally kissing her neck softly. After a moment, she went a bit further, and repeated the process several more times before she'd taken as much of him as she was physically able.

Barbara saw the girl's eyes watering, and just pressed her chest into her back to support her. "You're on your own speed." She reminded her gently.

Aasha remained there, feeling like she was in the process of being torn in half, for several moments, just trying to catch her breath, relax, and enjoy it. She looked down at Deke's face. He had a steady calm expression, with a gentle smile on his face. She felt him brace her hips as she began rocking on him.

She absolutely felt like she was near her breaking point. Her inner walls felt stretched to their limits about the time they began, and had only gotten worse. She tried to relish the pain, to let it wash over her, but the moment she began moving, it started all over again.

Barbara noticed this, and reached her hand around to begin toying with Aasha's button. The added stimulation was exactly what she needed to balance the pain, and before too long, she was rocking steadily on his shaft.

"How do I know when it's over?" Aasha asked through panting breath, after what felt like an hour had passed.

"When you decide you're done." Barbara whispered into her ear, still massaging her button, and servicing herself while she was at it.

"Is this all there is to it?" Aasha asked after a tremor washed through her. "Or can we do more?"

"Oh Aasha, there's plenty more you can do. He can take over for a while if you like." Barbara said, and noticed him giving a thumbs up to her.

It was clear to him that this had nothing to do with his pleasure, and he was perfectly okay with it. He'd shut everything down in an instant to make sure he finished the night with his beloved. When Aasha agreed to let him take over, he pushed himself up carefully, since her eyes were still watering from the pressure within her, and rolled over with her, holding the small woman to his chest as he did.

Aasha felt her back hit the bed softly, and was pleased he was still within her. He waited a moment before he began, to make sure she was still good to go, and Barbara was right there alongside her. "Try adjusting your legs to control how deep he can go." She suggested, her hands going right back to stimulate them both. She was getting way too aroused by this whole thing. Hot, she expected might be a way to describe this, but she hadn't expected erotic. Her whole mind was engaged in this, allowing her to be a part of it as well, and it had her engine running nicely.

Aasha tried out Barbara's advice, though she also quickly discovered what _not_ to do as well, causing her to squeak in pain more than once. Finally, she put her feet on the bed and bent her knees up against his abdomen, effectively forming a barrier to prevent him going too deep.

When he felt the satisfaction from her decision, Deke began slowly working within Aasha. Again, he used his powers to trigger her arousal, stopping just short of causing her to spontaneously climax. He was hoping she'd experience that on her own naturally. He also had to control his own body, as his beloved was busy making out with Aasha, as well as playing with her.

He kept his slow and steady pace up for several minutes, dividing his attention to the best of his abilities. When Aasha began whimpering faster, and her voice took on an even higher pitch, it became clear she was near her full, so he sped up slightly.

"Don't cheat her Cowboy." Barbara said in a generous tone, looking up at him. "Finish with her."

He nodded to her and ceased his control on his own body, almost too soon. Aasha was exceptionally tight, given her small frame, and he'd hacked her whole reproductive system to the peak of his skills. Apparently, Barbara's words had worked for Aasha too though, as she bit her lip and made a shrieking sound in her throat, her already tight grip growing vicelike.

He almost didn't make it in time, but he was able to withdraw from her, and erupted across her body. She was a little less than a foot shorter than Barbara, so his first string launched over her head completely, while the next few landed across her neck and chest.

Aasha laid there a moment, one arm grasping the other shoulder while the other grasped her hip. She felt entirely too vulnerable and exposed, with too much overwhelming sensory input threatening to destroy her.

Barbara rose up to her knees and kissed her boy deeply, taking his face in her hands to bring him as close as possible to her. When she pulled away, she looked at him with a kind, almost proud expression. "You were quite the gentleman with her. Good job."

Aasha opened her eyes to see it, and felt comforted. When he summoned a towel to his hand to clean up the mess he'd made, she giggled softly. Barbara laid back down with her and kissed her, and pulled Deke down once he was finished taking care of his mess. He kissed Aasha as well, soft and sweet, and stroked her hair.

"How do you feel?" he asked her.

"Sore." She said honestly. "But it's a good sore." She added after a moment. She wanted to curl up into somebody, and chose Barbara. Mustang might have taken her virginity, but it was Batgirl who'd made sure it was a beautiful experience.

They laid together for several minutes, letting the electricity in the room calm down. Finally feeling more normal, Aasha pushed herself into a half-seated position on the bed along with her hosts. "Are you two going to do things now?" She asked, curious.

"I'd planned on it." Deke said, glancing at his beloved.

She looked back with a hungry look on her face. "So had I."

"Could you two do me another favor?" Aasha asked, glancing back and forth between them.

"Probably, what is it?" Barbara asked, not sure what the girl had in mind.

"Do you think you two could show off a little?" She asked, hoping to learn more from them.

All Barbara did was smile. "Yes, yes we can."


	29. Epilogue

November 13th  
Washington DC  
0700 EST

"We're in a bad position here." One plain man in a suit said to the other people seated around the large oval table. "Three was able to delete all the information we had on the rest of the subjects. The lab was exposed, and Ten survived. We are not in a good position."

"We need to stop playing games." Another man said, this one in the uniform of an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel. "Terminal action needs to be taken now before this gets too close to us."

"The director is developing a new initiative. I think it shows promise to succeed where Three failed." An auburn haired woman in this fall's Armani said, while glancing at her tablet computer.

"Do we want to cross the director with this?" Another man, this one in glasses and a ponytail, wearing a suit without a tie, said. "I have other assets with a proven track record."

"How about we table this discussion." A voice from the opposite side of the room said. It belonged to a powerful looking black woman in a conservative women's suit. "I don't think scrubbing Sigma is a proper use of your assets, or the Squad, for that matter."

"Director Waller, the Suicide Squad was developed for tasks just like this." Armani woman said in protest.

"What are you so afraid of Tess?" Amanda Waller asked, taking her seat at the table. "We're in a win/win situation and you want to throw it away."

"I fail to see how this is a win/win." The woman apparently named Tess retorted.

"And that's why I'm in the big chair." Waller replied with just the proper amount of snark. "We currently enjoy the protection of the government. The League cannot touch us, regardless of what evidence they might or might not have. Cole Cash did us a favor on that front."

"I thought we weren't supposed to use their names." The plain man in the suit asked.

"They don't belong to us anymore, I hardly suppose it matters what we call them." Waller replied. "Sigma had its setbacks, but we have at least seven people out there right now, two of whom will eventually be capable of rivaling Superman in power. The rest will still serve their purpose. Fulcrum was, once we collate the data, a success. If any of the subjects try to push at us, the government will ask the League to intervene. Otherwise, they leave us alone. That, ladies and gentleman, is a win/win."

"What if they start targeting us individually? Three, er, Cash, is more than capable of it, and if he is, O'Connelly and Hausmann certainly are too. I don't want to die in a nano-swarm, or get turned into a vegetable any more than I want shot. I'm sure I speak for all of us, including you." The Air Force light bird said.

"Then they're murderers, and Batman has gotten a plan to take down any one or all of them, so let the League handle it. Any one of us does not constitute the whole of Checkmate." Waller said, proving just how little value she placed on any of their lives. "So, consider it tabled. We have other business to discuss."


End file.
